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THE  LIBRARY 

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LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

Commodore  Byron  McCandless 


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SECOND    SEEIES    OF 


VOYAGES 


VAEIOUS    PARTS    OF    THE    WORLD, 


BETWEEN  THE  YEARS  1802  AND  1841. 


BY 


GEORGE  COGGESHALL. 


SELECTED   FI10]1  HIS  MS.  JOURNAL  OF   EIGHTY   VOYAGES 


NEW-YOEK : 
D.    APPLETON    &    COMPANY, 

200    BROADWAY. 

1852. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852,  by 

GEORGE   COGGESHALL, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New-York. 


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TO 

COMMODORE  CnAELES  STEWAET, 
Of  the  United  States  Navy, 

Who,  for  more  than  half  a  century,  has  dignified  and  adorned 
his  profession  by  his  character  and  achievements  ; — who  has, 
during  his  whole  hfe,  practically  vindicated  the  rights  of 
American  seamen  from  British  impressment ; — to  whom  was 
struck  more  than  once  the  flag  of  France,  when  at  war  with 
his  country  ; — who  was  conspicuous  in  humbling  and  taming 
the  barbarian  power  of  Tripoli ; — to  whom,  as  captain  of  the 
"  Constitution,"  were  surrendered,  in  one  action,  the  "  meteor 
flags"  of  the  "  Cyane"  and  "  Levant ;" — who,  while  command- 
ing squadrons,  was  charged  with  the  duties,  and  displayed 
the  abilities  and  wisdom  of  a  statesman  on  occasions  of  deli- 
cacy and  difficulty  with  the  nations  of  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  Pacific  ; — who  has  received  the  thanks  and  commendations 
of  Cities,  States,  Congress,  and  of  the  Government ; — who  is  re- 
warded in  his  advanced  years  for  the  services  of  his  earlier 
life  by  the  love,  veneration,  and  respect  of  his  countrymen, 
this  volume  is  dedicated,  as  a  slight  token  of  the  hidividual 
esteem  and  regard  in  which  he  is  held 

By  his  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

GEORGE  COGGESHALL. 
New-York,  April,  1852. 


956S08 


PREFACE 


DuniNG  tlie  last  year  I  puLlislied  a  few  voyages  to 
various  parts  of  tlie  world,  whicli  were  so  well 
received,  that  I  am  induced  to  narrate  a  second 
series.  As  a  considerable  portion  of  these  voyages 
were  made  to  Europe,  and  to  places  well  known,* 
I  can  hardly  expect  them  to  excite  much  curiosity 
or  interest  for  the  general  reader ;  still,  it  may  be 
interesting  to  those  concerned  in  commercial  affaii's, 
and  particularly  to  the  younger  part  of  the  commu- 
nity, to  trace  the  progress  of  our  growing  commercial 
marine  during  the  last  half  century.  The  first  voy- 
age of  this  series  was  made  in  1802,  and  the  last 
in  1841,  consequently  they  extend  over  a  space  of 
more  than  thii'ty-niue  years.  I  have  been  travelling 
and  voyaging  about  the  world  for  a  period  of  fifty- 
two  years,  and  have  kept  a  regular  journal  from  the 
commencement  of  my  career  until  the  present  time. 
I    have,   of   course,  passed    through  many  perilous 


PEEFACE. 


and  exciting  scenes  not  given  to  the  public,  but  I 
have  related  -enougli  to  prove  tlie  hardships  and  trials 
of  a  seaman's  life,  and  also  to  show  that  mine  has  been 
a  checkered  one.  In  narrating  these  voyages  it  has 
been  my  constant  aim  to  do  justice  to  all,  and  need- 
lessly to  hurt  the  feelings  of  no  individual  named  in 
my  work.  Still  I  have  strictly  adhered  to  the  truth 
under  all  circumstances,  and  have  never  called  good 
evil,  nor  evil  good ;  and  as  I  am  now  drawing  near  the 
close  of  life,  I  hope  to  die  at  peace  with  God  and  all 
mankind.  In  conclusion,  I  would  say  to  those  of  my 
readers  who  may  have  the  patience  to  follow  me 
through  a  portion  of  my  various  wanderings,  that 
whatever  may  be  their  opinion  with  respect  to  its 
literary  merits,  they  will  do  me  the  justice  to  believe 
that  candor  and  impartiality  have  been  my  sincere 
desu-e. 

G.  C. 
New-Yoek,  April,  1852. 


CONTENTS 


Dedication,  .,.,....  5 

Preface,  .........       7 

CHAPTER  I. 

Voyage  in  the  Schooner  Thomas  to  Berbice. — Ashore  on  Fisher's  Island. — 
Violent  gale,  which  lasted  three  days. — Lost  a  man  overboard. — 
Remarks  on  Berbice.    In  1802,  1803,  ....  17 

CHAPTER  II. 

Voyage  in  the  Schooner  T/teresa to tholsland  of  Terceira. — Leave  Montauk 
Point. — Arrive  at  Terceira. — Load  with  fruit. — Remarks  on  the  Azores, 
or  Western  Islands. — Sail  from  that  place.    In  the  year  1804,         .  24 

CHAPTER  III. 

Voyage  in  the  Schooner  Betsey  and  Polly,  to  the  West  India  Islands.— Dis- 
.  pose  of  our  cattle  at  sea. — Men-of-war  firing  upon  the  boats  of  the  mer- 
chant ships. — Arrive  at  Barbadoes. — St.  Lucie  and  St.  Martin's.    In 
the  year  1804, 28 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Voyage  in  the  Ship  Marshall, to  Leghorn  and  New  Orleans.— Arrive  at  Gib- 
raltar.—Catch  a  great  uupiber  of  turtle. — Arrive  at  Leghorn. — Re- 


10  CONTENTS. 

marks  on  Leghorn  and  Pisa. — Arrive  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
— Remarks  on  that  river. — A  Deserter  reprieved. — Remarks  on  New 
Orleans.    In  the  years  1806, 1807, 33 


CHAPTER  Y. 

First  Voyage  in  the  Schooner  CentiirloJi,  from  New  Orleans  to  Vera  Cruz. 
— Sail  from  New  Orleans.— Arrive  at  Vera  Cruz.— 3Iake  a  short  voy- 
age, and  return  to  New  Orleans.    In  the  year  1807,  .  •  40 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Second  Voyage  in  the  same  vessel  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  back  to  New  Orleans. 
— Sail  from  New  Orleans. — Arrive  at  Vera  Cruz. — Difficulty  with  the 
Custom-House  Officers. — Go  on  board  of  a  Spanish  sloop-of-war. — 
Leave  Vera  Cruz. — Return  to  New  Orleans. — Sail  from  New  Orleans  to 
Now- York,  in  the  Schooner  Ildty. — Remarks  on  the  attack  of  the  Brit- 
ish ship-of-war  Leopard  on  the  U.  S.  Frigate  Chesapeake.  In  the 
year  1807,  ...        42 


CHAPTER  VII. 

First  Voyage  in  the  Pilot-Boat  Schooner  Hamilton,  from  New- York  to 
Vera  Cruz. — Sail  from  New-York. — Robbed  by  Pirates. — Arrive  at  Vera 
Cruz. — Sail  from  Vera  Cruz. — Return  to  Now- York.    In  the  year  1807,    40 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Second  Voyage  in  the  Pilot-Boat  Schooner  Ilajiiilloyi,  from  New- York  to  Vera 
Cruz,  and  back  to  New- York. — Arrive  at  Vera  Cruz. — Harbor  of  Vera 
Cruz. — High  prices  of  merchandise  at  that  place. — Violence  of  north- 
ers.— General  remarks  on  the  Port  and  City  of  Vera  Cruz. — Sail  for 
home,  and  arrive  at  New- York.    In  the  year  1808,  ,  .  52 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Third  Voyage  in  the  Pilot-Boat  Scliooncr  IlamiUon,  from  New- York  to  Vera 
Cruz,  from  thence  to  Philaduli)liia.— Sail  from  New-York. — Arrive 
at  Vera  Cruz.— Climate  and  liealth  of  that  place.— Take  on  board  Don 
Jose  C.  do  Villaiuieva  and  his  family. — Sail  from  Vera  Cruz. — Arrive 
at  Philadelphia.    In  the  year  1808,        .  .  .  .        .  55 


CONTENTS.  11 


CHAPTER  X. 

Voyage  in  the  Brig  Henry  and  Isabella,  from  New- York  to  St.  Bartholomew 
and  back  to  New- York.— Sail  from  Now- York.— Arrive  at  St.  Bartholo- 
mew.— Sail  from  that  place.— First  voyage  Captain. — His  Motto.  In 
the  year  1809, 58 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Voyage  in  the  Ship  Virginia,  from  New-York  to  Petersburg,  Va.,  from 
thence  to  England  and  Tonningen. — Sail  from  Norfolk. — Arrive  at  Fal- 
mouth.— Arrive  at  Heligoland. — Enter  the  Eyder. — Remarks  on  Ton- 
ningen.— Also  on  Hamburg. — Sail  from  Tonningen. — Pass  Fair  Island 
Passage.— Get  near  the  Coast  of  Iceland. — Arrive  at  New- York.  In 
the  year  1809, CI 


CHAPTER  XII. 

First  Voyage  in  the  Pilot-Boat  Schooner  Eliza,  from  New-York  to  Tonnin- 
gen and  back  to  New- York.— Sail  from  New- York. — Get  among  the 
ice  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland. — Loss  of  the  Ship  Jupiter  among 
the  ice. — Speak  the  Ship  Pilgrim. — Pass  through  the  Pentland  Firth. 
— Arrive  at  Tonningen. — Visit  to  Hamburg. — Sail  from  Tonningen. — 
Arrive  at  NewYork.    In  the  year  1810,  .  .  .  .71 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Second  Voyage  in  the  Pilot-Boat  Schooner  Eliza,  from  New- York  to  Swe- 
den, and  from  thence  to  Russia,  and  back  to  New- York.— Sail  from 
New-York. — Arrive  at  Gottenburg. — Remarks  on  that  City. — Pass 
through  the  Great  Belt.— Danish  Gun-Boats. — Arrive  at  Carlsliam.— 
Taken  by  the  English.— Sail  from  Carlsham. — Arrive  at  Riga.— Re- 
marks on  wintering  in  Russia. — Sail  from  Riga. — Lose  a  man  overboard. 
— Arrive  at  New-York.    In  the  years  1810  and  1811,  .  .        80 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

First  Voyage  in  the  Ship  America,  from  Philadelphia  to  Lisbon,  and  from 
thence  to  New-York. — Drunken  mutiny  on  the  Delaware  River. — Sail 
from  the  Capes. — Ship  takes  the  ground. — Arrive  at  Lisbon. — Sail 
from  that  place. — INIake  a  good  voyage  for  the  owners. — Return  to 
New- York.    In  the  years  1811  and  1812,  .  .    "       .  •      100 


12  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Second  Voyage  in  the  Ship  America,  from  New-York  to  Lisbon,  and  back 
to  New- York. — Sail  from  New-York.— Arrive  at  Lisbon.— Remarks  on 
the  probability  of  war. — Religious  Mate. — Five  days  calm  weather. — 
Escape  from  the  enemy. — News  of  war  with  England. — Arrive  at  New- 
York.    In  the  year  1812, 113 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Voyage  in  the  Schooner  Iris,  from  New- York  to  TenerifFe,  St.  Thomas,  Ha- 
vana, and  from  thence  to  New- York.  Preliminary  Remarks. — Sail 
from  New-York. — Pass  through  Long  Island  Sound. — A  severe  gale. — 
Novelty  of  Ocean  scenery. — Arrive  at  TenerifFe. — Hire  a  house  in 
Santa  Cruz. — Costume  of  the  Spanish  ladies. — A  jaunt  to  the  interior 
of  the  Island. — A  visit  to  the  churches  and  nunneries. — Conversation 
with  the  nuns. — Magnificent  view  of  the  Peak. — Port  of  Orotava. — 
Load  with  brandy. — General  remarks  on  the  Canary  Islands. — Sail 
from  Tenerifle. — Arrive  at  St.  Thomas. — Get  supplies  of  fruit,  &c. — Sail 
from  St.  Tliomas. — Pass  through  Sail  Rock  Passage. — Make  the  Hole- 
in-the-Wall. — Bahama  Banks. — Arrive  at  the  Havana. — Remarks  on 
that  place. — Load  the  Iris  in  the  Havana. — Sail  from  that  place. — 
Arrive  at  New-York    In  the  years  1818  and  1819.  .  .  .121 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Voyage  in  the  United  States  Brig  jE^t/erpmc,  with  Captain  Lawrence  Kear- 
ney, from  Ncw-i''ork  to  Omoa,  thence  to  Vera  Cruz,  in  the  Schooner 
Retrieve,  and  back  to  New-York,  in  the  year  1819. — Remarks  on  the 
object  of  the  voyage. — Sail  from  New- York. — Mona  Passage. — Coast 
of  San  Domingo. — Coast  of  Jamaica. — Lose  a  man  overboard. — 
Swan  Islands. — Bay  of  Honduras.— Arrive  at  Omoa.— Salute  the 
Castle.— Good  Governor.— Remarks  on  Omoa.— Sail  from  that  place 
in  the  Retrieve  in  company  with  the  Enterprise. — Separate  from  the 
Enterprise. — Intemperate  crew. — Arrive  at  Vera  Cruz. — Ingrati- 
tude of  Baker  Smith. — Superstition  of  a  sailor. — Troubles  in  Vera 
Cruz.— Sail  from  Vera  Cruz.- Alacrane  Islands.— Narrow  escape 
from  a  Water-si)out. — Put  into  Savannah.— Arrive  at  New- York. — 
Settle  the  voyage.— Execution  of  JNIr.  Brown,  mate  of  the  Retrieve,  135 


CONTENTS.  13 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Voyage  in  the  Sloop  Volusia,  from  New- York  to  St.  Jago  de  Cuba  and 
Omoa,  and  from  tlicnce  to  New  Orleans,  and  back  to  Truxillo,  Bon- 
aca,  and  from  thence  to  New- York,  in  the  3'ears  1820  and  1821. — Sail 
from  New- York. — Make  Tnrli's  Island,  and  San  Domingo. — Arrive 
at  St.  Jago  de  Cuba. — Not  allowed  to  sell  my  cargo. — Description  of 
that  place. — Leave  St.  Jago  de  Cuba. — Make  Bonaca. — Sail  down  to 
the  southward  of  Rattan  Island. — Appearance  of  the  coast  of  Hon- 
duras.— Arrive  at  Omoa. — Terrible  earthquakes. — Indolence  of  the 
people. — General  remarks  on  Omoa. — Sail  from  that  place. — Melan- 
choly death  of  Mr.  Fricker. — Arrive  at  Truxillo. — Variegated  plu- 
mage of  the  Birds,  and  brilliant  colors  of  the  Fish.^Sell  the  residue 
of  my  cargo  at  that  place. — General  character  of  the  people. — Sail 
from  Truxillo. — Arrive  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. — Tedious 
passage  up  that  river. — Arrive  at  New  Orleans. — Low  prices  of  pro- 
visions, etc. — Sail  from  New  Orleans. — Leave  the  Mississippi. — Ar- 
rival at  Truxillo. — Description  of  that  place. — Recover  a  large  brass 
cannon. — Meanness  of  its  Governor. — Remarks  on  the  Caribs. — Sail 
from  Truxillo. — Arrive  at  Bonaca. — Collect  cocoanuts. — Large  ser- 
pent, and  turtle. — Description  of  that  Island. — Sail  for  New- York. 
— Arrive  at  that  city, — Settle  the  Voyage. — Letter  from  Captain 
Baker, '150 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Voyage  from  New- York  to  the  Havana,  and  back  to  New- York,  in  the 
Schooner  Swan,  in  the  year  1823. — Agreement  with  the  Owners. — Sail 
from  New-York. — Inefficient  Mate. — Bad  crew. — Make  the  Hole-in- 
the-Wall. — Isaac  Rocks. — Bahama  Banks. — Escape  from  a  Piratical 
vessel. — Arrive  at  the  Havana. — Trials  and  troubles  at  that  place. — 
Take  a  cargo  for  New- York. — Remarks  on  the  frecpient  Piracies  at  that 
time. — Sail  under  convoy  of  two  United  States  Schooners. — Passage 
home. — Arrive  at  New- York. — Death  of  Mr.  Patterson. — Quaran- 
tine Ground. — Settle  the  Voyage. — General  remarks  and  comments 
on  the  Piracies  in  the  West  Indies,  in  the  year  1823. — Connection 
between  the  Pirates  and  the  Inhabitants  of  Cuba.— Dreadful  mur- 
ders and  barbarities  conmiitted  by  Pirates  at  this  period. — Awful 
murder  of  Cai)tain  Thornby  and  his  Mate,  Jlr.  Roberts.— Burning 
of  the  brig  Vineyard. — How  to  make  a  Pirate,  as  related  by  Gibbs. 
— Condemnation  and  execution  of  the  Pirates,  Gibbs  and  Walmsley,  170 


14  COXTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Voyage  in  the  Ship  Governor  Clinton,  David  Hepburn,  JNIaster,  from  New- 
York  to  Chili,  Peru,  and  Colombia  ;  namclj^,  on  the  western  coast  of 
South  America,  and  from  thence  to  Gibraltar,  and  back  to  New- 
York,  in  the  years  1825,  1826,  and  1827.  Myself  Supercargo.— Sail 
from  New- York. — Sea-sickness. — Make  the  island  of  St.  Antonio. — 
Cross  the  Equinox. — Make  Terra  del  Fucgo. — Loss  of  a  Spanish 
seventy-four. — French  sloop-of-war,  her  sails  in  tatters. — Storms  and 
tempests  off  Cape  Horn. — Bland  climate  of  the  Pacific. — Make  the 
St.  Felix  Isles. — Arrive  at  Callao.— Proceed  to  Chorillos.— Commercial 
affairs  at  Lima.— Sail  from  Chorillos.— Arrive  at  Arica.-Go  to  Tacua.— 
Remarks  on  that  place. — Character  of  the  people.— Value  of  Guano.— 
Return  to  Arica. — Character  of  the  People. — Sail  from  that  place. — 
Cabin  passengers. — Arrive  at  Valparaiso. — Description  of  that  place. 
— Take  a  cargo  of  wild  mules. — Sail  from  that  place. — Arrive  at  Lima. 
— Peacock  and  Georgia  Packet. — Accident  to  the  Packet. — Robberies 
on  the  Callao  road. — Sail  from  Callao. — Arrive  at  Eton. — Chai-acter 
of  the  people. — Proceed  by  land  to  Lambaycque. — Description  of 
that  place. — Procession  of  grotesque  figures. — Sail  from  Lam- 
baycque.— Touch  at  Payta. — Description  of  that  place. — Sail  from 
Payta. — Arrive  at  Guayaquil. — Take  a  cargo  of  cocoa. — Descrip- 
tion of  that  place. — Sail  from  Guayaquil. — Arrive  at  Payta. — Take 
in  bark. — Sail  from  that  place. — Arrive  at  Lambayeque. — Take  on 
board  Plata-pina. — Loss  of  one  pataca. — Sail  from  that  place. — 
Quick  and  pleasant  passage  round  Cape  Horn. — Cross  the  Equinox. 
— Speak  an  English  ship,  with  monkeys. — Arrive  at  Gibraltar. — Get 
Letters  from  home. — Sail  from  that  place. — Arrive  at  New-York. 
Severe  winter, — Settle  the  Voyage,       .....  186 


CHAPTER     XXI. 

Preliminary  remarks  and  observations,  preceding  several  vo3'ages  made 
in  the  brig  Brilliant ,  during  a  space  of  four  years,  namely,  from  the 
year  1807  to  1841,  inclusive. 

First  Voyage  in  the  Brig  Brilliant,  from  New- York  to  the  Isle  of  May, 
and  Rio  do  Janeiro,  from  thence  to  New  Orleans  and  Boston,  in  the 
years  1837  and  18,38. — Sail  from  New- York. — Strong  gales  from  the 
westward  during  the  whole  jiassagc. — Make  the  Isle  of  Sol,  one  of 
the  Cape  de  Verds. — Pass  down  throiigh  this  group. — Arrive  at  the 
Lsle  of  May. — Take  a  cargo  of  salt. — Description  of  that  Island. — 
Character  of  the  people. — Sail  from  that  place. — Cross  the  Line. — 


CONTENTS.  15 

Arrive  at  Rio  dc  Janeiro. — Capacious  harbor  of  Rio. — Magnificent 
and  bold  scenery. — N^umber  of  Inliabitants. — Commercial  impor- 
tance.— Purchase  a  cargo  of  coffee. — Sail  from  that  place. — View  of 
Pornambuco  and  Olinda. — Make  Barbadoes. — Pass  down  tlirough 
the  Caribbean  Islands. — Arrive  at  New  Orleans. — Take  a  freight  of 
cotton  to  Boston. — Arrive  at  that  place. — Send  the  Brilliant  to  Nova 
Scotia. — Return  home,  ......      277 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Second  Voyage  in  the  Brig  Brilliant,  from  New- York  to  the  Isle  of  May, 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  from  thence  to  New  Orleans  and  Connecticut, 
in  the  years  1838  and  1839. — Remarks  preceding  a  Second  Voyage 
in  the  Brilliant. — Make  an  arrangement  for  a  credit  on  London. — 
Leave  New- York  for  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  the  Brig  Himmclah. — Arrive 
at  Rio. — Brilliant  sails  from  New- York  on  the  13th  of  October. — 
Arrive  at  the  Isle  of  May. — Brilliant  arrives  at  Rio. — City  of  Rio. — 
Remarks  on  the  Inhabitants. — Emperor's  birthday. — The  churches 
and  public  buildings. — Botanical  garden. — Mixing  of  races. — Bra- 
zilian navy. — Fine  gardens  in  the  vicinity  of  Rio. — Increase  of 
coffee. — Importation  of  slaves. — Load  with  coffee. — Sail  from  Rio. 
— Pass  Cape  St.  Augustine. — See  Pernambuco  and  Olinda. — Make 
Barbadoes. — Pass  through  the  West  India  Islands. — Mouth  of  the 
Mississippi. — Arrive  at  New  Orleans. — Dispose  of  the  cargo. — 
Freight  with  cotton. — Sail  from  New  Orleans. — Arrive  at  Saybrook. 
—Settle  the  Voyage,       .......      295 


CHAPTER   XXIIL 

Third  Voyage  in  the  Brig  Brilliant,  from  Saybrook  to  Sydney,  N.  S.,  and 
from  thence  to  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1839. — Preliminary  Re- 
marks.— Sail  from  Saybrook. — Departure  from  Montauk  Point. — 
Make  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton. — Cold,  foggy  weather. — Make 
Flint  Island. — Remarks  on  the  cod  fishery. — Make  Scattery  Island. 
— Arrive  at  Sydnc}'. — Hospitality  of  its  Inhabitants. — Coal  mines. — 
Number  of  Inhabitants.— An  Indian  Tribe. — Birch  canoe.— Sail 
from  Sydney.— Catch  codfish  and  halibut.— Capes  of  the  Dela- 
ware.— Cape  Henlopen. — The  Breakwater. — River  Delaware. — Arrive 
at  Philadelphia. — Settle  the  Voyage,     .....      o07 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Fourth  and  last  Voyage  in  the  Brig  Brilliant,  from  New-York  to  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  and  from  thence  to  New  Orleans,  in  the  years  1840 


16  CONTENTS. 

and  1841. — Preliminary  Remarks. — Sail  from  New-York. — Severe 
tempest. — Make  the  Island  of  '  St.  Antonio. — Cross  the  Line. — 
Southeast  trades. — Clear  skies  and  fine  weather. — Arrive  at  Rio. — 
American  INIissionary  and  his  Family. — Climate  in  the  mountains. — 
Load  with  coffee. — Sail  from  Rio. — Make  Cape  St.  Augustine. — 
INIake  Barbadoes. — Pass  through  the  West  India  Islands. — Mouth 
of  the  Mississippi. — Shipwreck  in  that  river. — Bayou  Carrion 
Crow. — Send  the  coffee  in  lighters  to  New  Orleans. — Remarks  on 
the  ]VIississippi  and  its  mouths. — The  Inhabitants. — Region  of 
Carrion  Crow. — Oystermen. — Arrive  at  New  Orleans. — Sell  the  ma- 
terials of  the  Brilliant. — Dispose  of  the  coffee. — Settle  the^Voyage. — 
Return  to  New-York.— Insurance  Companies,— The  End,      .  .      318 


CHAPTER  I. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  THOMAS,  WITH  CAPT.  HENEY  TURNER, 
FROM  MILFORD,  CONNECTICUT,  TO  BERBICE  AND  THE  WEST  IN- 
DIA ISLANDS,  AND  BACK  TO  MILFORD,  IN  THE  YEARS  1802  AND 
1803. 

In  the  early  part  of  my  sea-life,  I  made  several  voyages  from 
Miiford  and  New  Haven,  in  Connecticut,  to  the  West  India 
Islands,  in  a  miserable  class  of  small  brigs  and  schoon- 
ers. These  vessels  were  employed  in  exchanging  the  pro- 
duce of  the  soil  of  Connecticut  for  the  produce  of  the 
Caribbean  Islands;,  namely,  for  rum,  sugar,  molasses,  cof- 
fee, and  the  indigenous  fruits  of  these  islands,  such  as  oranges, 
limes,  tamarinds,  cocoanuts,  etc.  These  vessels  carried  the 
produce  of  New  England  under  deck,  and  live  cattle,  such  as 
horses,  oxen,  sheep,  pigs  and  poultry  on  deck,  and  were,  in 
familiar  jgrms,  called  horse-jockeys.  Though  the  reader  may 
find  nothmg  very  striking  or  interesting  in  these  voyages,  still 
I  have  decided  to  narrate  a  few  of  them  to  serve  as  a  specimen 
of  our  commerce  to  these  islands,  and  to  exhibit  the  ineffi- 
ciency of  the  ships  and  vessels  in  common  use  at  that  period 
of  our  commercial  history,  that  the  present  generation  may  be 
able  to  contrast  our  then  infant  commerce,  and  the  inefficiency 
of  our  merchant  marine,  with  the  rapid  strides  it  has  since 
made  in  wealth  and  importance,  during  the  last  half  century. 
I  have  said  that  the  brigs  and  schooners  in  common  use  in 
Connecticut  at  that  period,  were  miserably  constructed,  and 
very  badly  adapted  to  commercial  purposes.  In  New- York,  and 
2 


18  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  THOMAS. 

some  Other  cities  of  the  Union,  they  were  a  Httle  better,  but  still 
small  and  very  inefficient ;  and  not  one  in  fifty  of  them  were 
coppered  ;  so  that  on  long  voyages  they  would  be  covered  with 
barnacles  and  sea-grass,  which  impeded  their  speed  at  least 
one-third;  forexample,aship  with  a  clean  copper  bottom,  which 
could  with  ease  sail  nine  miles  the  hour,  with  a  foul  wooden 
one  could  not  be  driven  over  six,  consequently  their  passages 
from  the  East  Indies  would  be  one-third  longer.  A  ship  in 
those  days,  of  300  or  400  tons  burden,  was  considered  enor- 
mously large,  and  when  advertised  for  sale,  freight,  or  charter, 
was  represented  as  a  very  capacious  ship,  coppered  and  copper 
fastened,  and  well  found  in  rigging,  sails,  etc. 

Methinks  I  liear  some  of  the  seamen  of  the  present  day 
inquire  how  men  could  be  found  to  go  to  sea  in  such  misera- 
ble craft?  I  answer,  they  must  either  go  in  them  or  stay  on 
shore,  for  these  were  the  vessels  in  general  use  at  that  period. 

I  hardly  need  remind  any  one  at  this  time  that  our  sail- 
ing ships  are  floating  palaces,  and  measure  from  1000  to 
2500  tons,  and  frequently  cost  from  100,000  to  150,000  dollars. 
Such,  then,  is  the  improvement  in  the  merchant  marine  ser- 
vice during  the  last  fifty  year^■,  and  it  is  hardly  less  striking 
in  our  ships  of  war.  Other  nations,  also,  have  made  great 
progress  in  naval  science  ;  look,  for  example,  at  the  engravings 
of  Lord  Nelson's  fleet  as  represented  at  the  battle  of  Trafiilgar, 
what  ungainly,  clumsy-looking  floating  batteries  were  then  in 
service,  Avitli  their  bowsprits  standing  almost  perpendicular. 
How  it  would  oflend  the  eye  of  one  of  our  naval  olficers  at  the 
present  day,  to  gaze  upon  one  of  these  obsolete  ships  of  a  by- 
gone age.  Perliaps  tliore  is  no  branch  of  art  or  of  science  that 
has  made  such  rapid  progress  as  naval  architecture,  and  the 
management  of  ships. 

With  these  preliminaries,  I  will  proceed  to  copy  from  my 
journal,  a  voyage  in  the  schooner  Thomas,  to  Bcrbice,  Guiana, 
with  Captain  Henry  Turner,  commenced  in  December.  The 
Thomas  was  an  old  vessel,  of  80  tons  burden,  badly  built, 
and  badly-.equippcd,  and  were  she  in  existence  at  this  time 
(1852),  a  crew  could  not  be  obtained  for  her  in  the  United 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  THOMAS.  19 

Stales.  Our  crew  consisted  of  the  captain  aforesaid,  Mr. 
John  Mallet  (an  old  man),  the  mate,  with  two  seamen, 
two  landsmen,  and  a  cook.  This  comprised  the  whole,  being 
seven  in  number.  Mr.  Stephen  Trowbridge,  a  native  of  Milford, 
was  one  of  the  seamen,  and  myself  the  other.  He  was,  in 
truth,  a  good  sailor,  and  a  worthy,  honest  man,  and  later  in 
life  made  many  voyages  with  me  to  various  parts  of  the  world, 
as  my  chief  mate.  It  is  with  sincere  pleasure  that  I  now  call 
to  mind  his  efficient  and  honest  fidelity,  in  many  trying  scenes 
through  which  we  were  destined  to  pass  in  our  various  wan- 
derings for  a  period  of  more  than  five  years.  We  took  on  board 
the  usual  cargo  under,  deck,  namely,  beef,  pork,  hams,  some 
flour,  butter,  cheese,  etc.  On  deck,  we  had  twenty-four  low 
priced  horses,  with  sundry  sheep  and  pigs,  and  were  provided 
with  the  usual  quantity  of  grain,  hay,  etc.,  to  supply  the  ani- 
mals'with  food.  Thus  manned  and  equipped,  we  sailed  from 
Milford  in  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  December,  for  Berbice. 
It  was  a  very  cold  day,  and  there  was  a  great  deal  of  field  and 
floating  ice  in  the  Sound  ;  but  the  wind  being  favorable  and 
strong  from  the  N.  W.,  we  made  fair  pr6gress  on  our  course 
towards  Montauk  Point,  but  as  the  schooner  was  at  best  a  slow 
sailer,  we  did  not  get  down  to  Fisher's  Island  until  near  mid- 
night, and  when  we  approached  it,  our  captain  was  deceived 
in  the  appearance  of  the  land ;  in  fact  it  was  difficult  to  dis- 
criminate it  from  the  water,  there  being  so  much  floating  ice 
which  was  covered  over  with  snow,  that  it  was  almost  impos- 
sible to  find  the  true  channel  or  passage,  called  The  Race, 
leading  to  Montauk  Point.  We  however  steered  boldly  on, 
and  soon  found  ourselves  on  the  rocks,  but  a  short  distance 
from  Fisher's  Island.  Here  we  lay  thumping  for  about  an 
hour,  expectmg  every  moment  to  go  to  pieces  ;  some  of  the 
sheathing  was  knocked  off  the  schooner's  bottom,  and  came 
floating  up  alongside.  She  soon  began  to  leak  badly,  and  to 
thump  so  severely,  that  we  could  scarcely  stand  on  our  feet. 
In  this  trying  dilemma  we  got  out  the  boat  (the  only  one  we 
had),  to  save  our  lives  by  landing  on  the  island  ;  but  it  fortu* 


20  VOYAGE   IN"  THE   SCHOONER  THOMAS. 

nately  happened  that  we  ran  on  at  young  flood,  so  that  when 
the  tide  rose,  she  drifted  off  tfie  rocks.  We  then  steered  for 
New  London,  but  as  the  wind  was  blowing  strong  from  the 
N.  N.  W.,  we  could  not  fetch  into  that  port,  and  being  able  to 
keep  the  schooner  free  with  one  pump,  our  captain  ordered  the 
helm  to  be  put  np  and  the  sails  filled  for  sea.  It  would  be 
ditficult  to  descj'ibe  our  perilous  situation  while  thumping  on 
these  black  rocks,  some  of  which  were  above  water,  the 
weather  intensely  cold,  the  cattle  restless  and  frightened,  so 
that  we  could  with  difficulty  keep  them  from  falling  down  at 
every  surge  or  roll  the  schooner  made.  I  expected  every  mo- 
ment she  would  bilge  and  go  to  pieces,  and  ardently  wished 
myself  on  the  island,  and  would  gladly  have  resigned  every 
thing  I  had  on  board,  and  all  that  I  expected  to  make  by  the 
voyage,  to  have  been  placed  once  more  upon  Terra  Firma. 
After  passing  Fisher's  Island,  the  wind  increased  to  a  Strong 
gale  from  the  N.  W.,  and  we  continued  to  scud  before  it  to  the 
S.  E.  for  a  period  of  three  days.  During  the  whole  of  this  vio- 
lent gale,  one  pump  was  constantly  employed,  and  sometimes 
both,  to  keep  her  free.  We  had  a  quantity  of  loose  oats 
stowed  in  the  run,  under  the  cabin  floor  ;  at  times  the  pumps 
would  choke  with  them,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to  bail  the 
water  out  of  the  run  with  buckets.  During  the  whole  of  this 
furious  gale,  which  lasted  three  days,  the  schooner  was  steer- 
ed by  Trowbridge  and  myself  alternately,  four  hours  and  four 
hours,  while  the  mate  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew  were 
employed  at  the  pumps  and  taking  care  of  the  horses.  There 
was  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  trimming  or  shifting  the  sails; 
we  constantly  scudded  under  a  reefed  fore-topsail  and  a  double 
reefed  foresail,  and  all  we  could  do  was  to  steer  directly  before 
the  wind  and  sea,  and  fet  the  gale  expend  its  fury,  and  thus 
waft  us  onward  to  a  milder  chmate.  The  sea  was  lashed 
into  a  white  foam,  and  our  little  bark  was  forced  along  like  a 
sea-bird  that  flies  with  the  raging  tempest.  After  passing  the 
Gulf  Stream  and  getting  into  fine  weather,  our  horses  were  in 
a  miserable  condition,  and  were  scarcely  able  to  stand. 


VOYAGE   IN  Tllh  SCHOONER  THOMAS.  21 

Nothing  occurred  worthy  of  remark  until  tlie  24th  of  De- 
cember, fourteen  days  out,  when  in  tlie  act  of  letting  a  reef  out 
of  the  mainsail  on  a  fine  morning,  one  of  the  landsmen  slipped 
overboard  from  the  lee-quarter.  At  this  time,  the  schooner  was 
only  going  at  the  rate  of  one  or  two  miles  the  hour.  All  hands 
being  on  deck,  the  boat  was  immediately  thrown  from  the 
forecastle  into  the  water,  and  Trowbridge  and  myself  instantly 
jumped  into  it  with  two  oars  in  pursuit  of  him  ;  he  was  then 
about  one  hundred  yards  astern  of  the  schooner.  In  the  hurry 
the  plug-hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  was  left  open,  and  no 
plug  to  be  found.  The  water  was  rushing  in  with  great  vio- 
lence ;  my  friend  T.  thrust  his  thumb  into  the  hole,  while  I 
snatched  off  my  neck-handkerchief  and  stopped  it.  This  de- 
tained us  a  minute  or  two,  but  we  soon  pulled  up  to  the  man, 
when  my  friend  T.  had  just  time  to  save  him  by  the  hair  of 
his  head  ;  he  was  fast  sinking,  and  would  in  another  moment 
have  been  drowned.  We  soon  pulled  him  into  the  boat,  and 
took  him  on  board.  He  was  a  stout  young  farmer,  about 
nineteen  years  old,  from  some  small  interior  town  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  this  was  his  first  voyage  from  home.  His  name  I  do 
not  recollect.  He  soon  recovered,  and  when  asked  what  were 
his  feelings  at  the  time  he  was  sinking,  he  said  he  thought 
he  was  dying,  and  that  all  the  sins  he  had  ever  committed 
rushed  into  his  mind  ;  and  the  thought  of  having  left  home 
without  the  consent  of  his  mother,  was  to  him  perfect  torture. 
He  was  a  humble  man,  and  seemed  to  have  no  idea  that  the 
boat  would  be  got  out  for  him,  and  during  the  whole  voyage 
appeared  to  be  very  grateful  to  all  on  board  for  so  kindly  sav- 
ing him  from  a  watery  grave.  I  had  twice  before  this  acci- 
dent assisted  in  rescuing  men  from  drowning,  and  have  asked 
them  the  same  question  respecting  their  thoughts,  when  thus 
struggling  for  life.  Their  answers  have  been  uniformly  the 
same  in  substance  ;  namely,  that  in  a  single  moment  all  their 
evil  deeds  rushed  like  lightning  into  their  minds,  and  appear- 
ed as  if  the  transactions  of  a  whole  life  were  condensed  in  a 
moment  of  time. 


22  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER   THOMAS. 

AYe  made  but  slow  progress  on  our  passage,  and  had  fre- 
quent calms  and  very  light  breezes,  so  that  we  wereobhged  to 
put  the  cattle  on  a  short  allowance  of  water.  We  lost  ten  of 
our  horses  during  the  voyage,  and  when  we  arrived  at  Ber- 
bice  the  remaining  fourteen  were  reduced  almost  to  skeletons, 
and  could  scarcely  stand  on  their  legs.  We  landed  the  poor 
animals,  and  the  captain  disposed  of  them  for  what  he  could 
get,  which  I  believe  was  very  little.  We  were  fifty-five  days 
making  the  passage,  which  was  long  and  tedious,  and  when 
we  arrived,  we  were  all  nearljr  worn  out  with  labor  at  the 
pumps  and  other  severe  duties.  The  captain  retailed  the  cargo 
to  the  planters  residing  on  the  banks  of  the  Berbice  river,  and 
frequently  sold  articles  to  be  delivered  at  their  plantations,  some 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  the  river's  mouth.  The  articles  sold 
to  the  planters  were  delivered  to  them  in  our  own  boat,  so  that 
we  frequently  had  to  row  up  the  river  a  distance  of  from  ten 
to  fifteen  miles,  unprotected  against  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun  by 
day.  and  the  unhealthy  dews  of  evening.  What  would  the 
seamen  of  the  present  day  say.  if  they  had  to  perform  such 
severe  duty?  Yet  this  is  only  a  small  specimen  of  what  I  en- 
dured for  many  years,  when  trading  to  the  West  India  Islands. 
We  disposed  of  our  cargo  in  detail,  and  received  coffee  in  pay- 
ment, all  of  which  we  put  into  tight  puncheons  to  keep  it  dry. 
After  we  had  landed  all  our  cargo,  we  hauled  the  schooner  on 
shore  with  the  intention,  if  possible,  of  stopping  the  leaks.  When 
we  came  to  examine  the  ends  of  the  planks  under  the  counter 
we  found  the  wood  so  rotten,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
hold  oakum  ;  we  however,  calked  all  the  bad  places  the  best 
way  we  could,  and  took  on  board  our  coffee  and  got  ready  for 
sea.  The  coast  near  the  river  Berbice,  and  for  many  miles 
along  its  banks,  is  extremely  low  and  flat,  not  unlike  the  land 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  At  this  period  Berbice 
was  a  colony  of  England  ;  coffee  was  its  staple  production 
along  the  banks  of  the  river,  though  I  believe  there  were  also 
a  few  sugar  estates.  The  general  appearance  of  the  country 
is  flat,  and  where  the  land  is  not  cleared  up  for  plantations,  it 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  THOMAS.  23 

has  a  wil(3,  savage  aspect.  The  forest-trees  are  large,  and  the 
undergrowth  is  full  and  luxuriant,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
abounds  with  a  great  variety  of  wild  animals,  and  small  game 
for  sportsmen.  When  we  were  there  it  was  healthy,  but  I 
should  judge  it  must  be  sickly  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
like  other  places  in  low  latitudes,  where  the  land  is  rich,  vege- 
tation rank  and  luxuriant,  and  the  weather  naturally  liot  and 
sultry. 

The  little  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  Berbice  river, 
lies  in  latitude  0°  23'  north,  longitude  57°  11'  west  of  London. 
We  left  this  port  on  the  first  of  March,  bound  for  the  leeward 
West  India  Islands,  in  pursuit  of  a  freight  for  the  United 
States.  We  ran  down  to  the  island  of  Tobago,  and  at  this 
place  sent  the  boat  on  shore  for  information.  We  found  no 
freight  here,  and  soon  made  sail  for  Nevis  and  St.  Kitts,  where 
we  had  no  better  success,  and  after  filling  up  our  water,  and 
procuring  sea-stores,  and  a  quantity  of  fruit  at  the  latter  island, 
we  again  sailed  for  the  United  States.  We  ran  down  among 
the  leeward  islands,  and  passed  through  Sail  Rock  Passage, 
and  returned  home  to  Milford  on  the  10th  of  April,  1803,  thus 
completing  this  disagreeable  voyage  in  just  four  months. 


CHAPTER  11. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONEE  THERESA,  WITH  CAPTAIN  ADAM  POND, 
FROM  MILFOED,  CONNECTICUT,  TO  TEECEIEA,  AND  FROM  THENCE 
TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEAR  1804. 

I  HAD  recently  returned  from  a  voyage  to  Teneriffe,  Madeira, 
and  Terceira,  in  the  schooner  Rover.  From  the  last  named 
place  we  brought  a  cargo  of  oranges  and  lemons  to  New- York, 
and  from  the  information  which  I  commmiicated  to  the  owner 
of  the  Theresa,  he  decided  to  dispatch  her  forthwith  for  a  car- 
go of  fruit  for  the  New- York  market.  The  Theresa  was  a 
new  schooner  of  80  tons  burden,  a  fast  sailer,  and  in  every 
respect  a  fine  little  vessel ;  she  was  commanded  by  a  son  of 
the  owner,  a  young  man  about  22  years  of  age  :  the  crew  com- 
prised the  captain  (myself,  Mate),  four  seamen,  and  a  cook. 
To  enable  the  captain  to  purchase  a  cargo  of  oranges  and 
lemons,  the  owners  supplied  him  with  a  small  cargo  of  pine 
boards,  scantling,  whale  oil,  nankeens,  bees-wax,  and  sundry 
other  articles,  the  whole  invoice  of  which  amounted  to  eight 
hundred  dollars,  and  after  getting  ready  for  sea,  we  sailed  from 
Milford  on  the  10th  of  February.  We  passed  through  Long 
Island  Sound  and  took  our  departure  from  Montauk  Point  with 
a  strong  gale  from  the  westward,  with  clear,  cold  weather,  and 
as  usual  at  this  season  of  the  year,  we  had  a  continuation  of 
N.  W.  and  W,  N.  W.  winds  during  the  whole  passage,  and 
thus,  on  the  25tli  of  the  same  month,  we  came  to  anchor  in 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  THERESA.  25 

Angra  Bay  at  the  Island  of  Terceira,  fifteen  days  after  leaving 
Miiford. 

Our  captain  soon  disposed  of  our  little  cargo  at  good  prices^ 
and  in  five  days  after  our  arrival  we  were  ready  to  receive 
our  fruit,  but  as  it  was  necessary  to  pick  it  from  the  trees  some 
miles  in  the  country,  it  consequently  occupied  some  eight  or 
ten  days  to  bring  it  to  town  and  pack  it  in  boxes  before  putting 
it  on  board.  The  whole  consisted  of  twelve  hundred  boxes  of 
oranges  and  lemons,  and  cost  one  dollar  each.  After  paying 
for  our  cargo  of  fruit,  together  with  the  expenses  of  shipping  it, 
port  charges,  etc.,  we  had  a  considerable  sum  to  receive  in  sil- 
ver, and  as  there  was  no  other  current  money  but  pistareens, 
we  received  the  balance  due  us  in  this  old-fashioned  silver 
coin.  Before  leaving,  I  will  make  some  general  remarks  on 
this  island,  and  also  on  the  whole  group,  which  are  called  the 
Azores  or  Western  Islands.  They  are  nine  in  number,  and 
are  named  as  follows  :  Terceira,  St.  Michael,  Fayal,  St.  Mary's, 
Pico,  St.  George,  Graciosa,  Corvo,  and  Flores  ;  they  all  belong 
to  Portugal,  and  are  about  800  miles  distant  from  that  country. 
The  southernmost  of  the  group,  St.  Mary's,  lies  in  lat.  36°  59', 
and  the  northernmost,  Corvo,  lies  in  lat.  39°  44'  N.,  and  all 
the  others  between  these  extremes,  and  their  mean  longitude 
is  about  28°  0'  west.  The  climate  of  these  islands  is  gener- 
ally mild  and  healthy,  though  subject  to  severe  gales  in  the 
winter  season ;  they  are  also  at  times  visited  by  destructive 
earthquakes  ;  but  with  all  these  drawbacks  they  would  become 
vastly  more  important  to  the  world  if  blessed  with  good  har- 
bors ;  there  is  not  a  safe  one  in  the  whole  Archipelago.  Fayal 
has  a  tolerable  port,  and  the  harbor  on  this  island  I  will  attempt 
to  describe  after  I  have  concluded  my  remarks.  St.  Michael's 
is  the  largest,  and  Pico  the  most  elevated ;  the  peak  of  this 
island  is  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
may  be  seen  on  a  clear  day  some  sixty  or  seventy  miles  off, 
rising  like  a  sugar  loaf  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  The 
principal  exports  of  these  islands  are  wine  and  fruit,  the  great- 
est part  of  which  is  consumed  in  England,  though  a  portion  of 


26  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SCHOONER  THERESA. 

the  wine  is  shipped  to  Madeira*  and  to  Brazil.  The  entire 
population  of  these  islands  is  said  to  be  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand,  and  as  they  have  but  little  intercourse 
with  other  nations,  they  are  of  course  extremely  ignorant  and 
very  superstitious,  intolerant,  and  bigoted  to  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic religion  ;  they  consequently  remain  from  age  to  age  with 
but  little  progress  or  improvement  of  any  kind.  Terceira  is 
the  capital  or  seat  of  government  for  these  islands ;  here  the 
Governor-General  resides,  and  to  him  they  all  appeal  for  ulti- 
mate justice. 

It  is  about  30  miles  long  and  20  broad,  and  lies  in  lat.  38° 
39  north,  longitude  27°  13'  west  of  London.  Tiie  port  of 
Angra  is  rather  a  pleasant  little  bay,  pretty  well  sheltered  from 
west  and  N.  W.  winds,  but  when  it  blows  from  the  northeast 
and  east  or  round  to  the  S.  E.  it  soon  raises  a  high  sea,  and 
renders  it  a  rough  and  dangerous  port.  The  town  of  Angra 
is  situated  on  a  hill  rising  gradually  from  the  sea,  and  contains 
about  12,000  inhabitants.  The  streets  are  broad  and  regular, 
the  houses  are  generally  three  stories  high  and  constructed  of 
stone,  and  though  well  built,  have  rather  a  gloomy  aspect. 
There  are  many  churches  and  convents;  some  of  the  former 
are  large,  and  rather  handsome.  From  the  convents  we  pur- 
chased artificial  flowers,  preserved  fruits,  and  other  little  curi- 
osities, and  found  their  inmates  polite  and  friendly. 

Fresh  provisions,  wild  game,  goats,  poultry,  eggs  and  fruit 
are  abundant  and  cheap,  particularly  oranges  and  lemons. 
While  here  I  observed  a  primitive  custom,  which  struck  me  as 
well  worthy  of  imitation  by  villages  and  small  towns  in  om* 
own  country ;  namely,  it  is  a  general  custom  for  the  peasants 
to  drive  into  town  a  large  herd  of  milch  goats,  stop  at  every 
house,  and  supply  each  family  with  whatever  quantity  of  milk 
they  may  require,  and  in  this  way  the  inhabitants  get  it  fresh 
and  pure. 

*  Tlic  wine  shipped  from  these  islands  to  IMadeira,  is  there  so  mixed  and 
refined  as  to  give  it  a  new  character,  and  from  thence  is  exported  as  Madeira 
wine. 


VOYAGE   IN   THE  SCHOONER  THERESA.  27 

This  island  is  in  many  respects  a  convenient  stopping- 
place  to  procure  supplies  of  water,  fresh  provisions,  fruit,  etc., 
etc.  I  regret  that  my  stay  here  was  too  short  for  me  to  get 
acquainted  with  the  moral  and  social  condition  of  the  people, 
but  from  what  I  saw,  I  should  think  them  simple-hearted  and 
kind,  though  very  ignorant  and  superstitious  ;  they  have  so 
little  intercourse  with  visitors  or  strangers  from  abroad,  that 
they  cannot  be  expected  to  know  much  of  what  is  going  on  in 
the  world ;  still,  from  all  I  could  learn,  they  are  extremely  at- 
tached to  their  own  island  and  rarely  emigrate  to  foreign  lands. 
On  our  arrival  we  found  lying  here  a  brig  belonging  and  bound 
for  New-York.  She  was  from  Liverpool,  ballasted  with  coal, 
and  had  been  as  far  west  as  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  and 
after  having  lost  her  sails  and  several  spars,  bore  away  for 
this  port  leaking  badly.  On  her  arrival  her  captain  found  it 
impossible  to  procure  sails,  spars,  rigging,  and  other  necessary 
supplies  at  this  place,  and  she  was  consequently  condemned 
and  sold  at  public  auction.  The  captain,  James  Kennedy,  his 
mate  and  crew,  together  with  two  of  his  cabin  passengers, 
went  with  us  to  New- York,  and  after  getting  all  necessary 
stores  on  board,  we  sailed  from  Terceira  on  the  10th  of  April. 
We  had  a  rough  and  unpleasant  passage  of  twenty-three  days  ; 
it  was  rendered  disagreeable  from  the  fact  of  having  so  many 
persons  crowded  together  in  so  small  a  cabin.  We,  however, 
completed  the  whole  voyage  out  and  home  in  eighty-two  days, 
and  made  a  good  one,  considering  the  size  of  the  schooner  and 
the  amount  of  capital  employed. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  BETSEY  AND  POLLY,  WITH  CAPTAIN 
CALEB  A.  TOWNSEND,  FKOM  NEW  HAVEN,  CONNECTICUT,  TO 
BARBADOES,  ST.  LUCIE,  AND  ST.  MARTIN'S,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW 
HAVEN,  IN  1804. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  June  that  I  joined  the  schooner  Betsey 
and  Polly,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Caleb  A.  Townsend, 
then  lying  at  New  Haven.  Connecticut,  nearly  loaded,  for  the 
West  Indies.  This  vessel  was  about  150  tons  burden,  and 
was  owned  by  Messrs.  Gillet  &  Townsend,  merchants,  at  this 
place.  Our  crew  was  nine  in  number,  viz.  :  the  captain, 
chief  mate,  second  mate,  cook,  and  five  seamen.  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Brown,  of  Milford,  was  chief  mate,  and  myself  second 
mate. 

Our  cargo  under  deck,  was  composed  of  corn-meal,  flour, 
beef,  pork,  butter,  cheese,  hams,  etc.,  etc.  On  deck,  we  had 
44  oxen,  besides  many  sheep,  pigs,  and  a  great  variety  of 
poultry,  with  the  usual  quantity  of  hay,  corn,  oats,  etc.,  etc. 
Thus  loaded  and  lumbered  up,  on  deck  and  below,  we  sailed 
from  New-Haven  on  the  20th  of  June,  bound  for  Barbadoes 
and  a  market.  That  niglit,  we  got  down  near  Fisher's 
Island.  The  passage  near  this  island  leading  out  to  sea,  is 
called  The  Race,  probably  because  the  tides  in  tbis  vicinity 
are  so  extremely  rapid.  At  midnight,  it  became  very  dark, 
and  the  wind  light ;  and,  for  fear  of  being  driven  on  shore,  we 
let  go  our  bower  anchor,  which  brought  up  the  schooner  in 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  BETSEY  AND  POLLY.     29 

10  fathoms  of  water,  in  mid-channel,  and  at  the  full  strength 
of  the  ebb-tide. 

When  the  weather  cleared  up  a  little,  we  found  ourselves  in 
a  good  position,  with  a  fair  wind,  and  a  favorable  tide ;  but 
how  to  weigh  the  anchor  was  the  question  ;  for  in  bringing  up, 
one  of  the  windlass  bits  was  carried  away,  and  to  heave  it  up 
with  our  broken  windlass  was  impossible ;  we  were  therefore 
compelled  to  cut  the  cable,  and  make  sail  with  the  loss  of  our  best 
bower,  and  about  20  fathoms  of  rope  cable.  After  this  incident, 
nothing  worth  noticing  occurred  for  three  weeks.  We  generally 
had  light  baffling  winds  and  fine  weather,  so  that  we  did  not 
pass  the  Island  of  Bermuda  until  we  had  been  22  days  at  sea. 

One  fine  morning,  when  in  the  latitude  of  Bermuda,  and 
about  20  leagues  to  the  eastward  of  it,  we  fell  in  with  an 
English  homeward-bound  fleet  from  Barbadoes,  but  last  from 
the  Island  of  St.  Thomas.  This  fleet  consisted  of  about  150 
sail  of  merchantmen,  under  convoy  of  the  Blenheim  74,  a 
frigate,  and  two  or  three  sloops-of-war.  The  flag-ship  brought 
ns  to,  and  purchased  from  our  captain  22  head  of  cattle,  at 
^75  each,  and  nearly  all  our  small  stock  of  hogs,  sheep,  geese, 
turkeys,  fowls,  etc.,  etc.  In  these  stock- vessels,  the  mates  and 
seamen  were  allowed  (freight  free)  to  take  for  their  private 
adventure  from  one  to  three  coops  of  ducks  and  fowls,  with 
the  privilege  of  several  barrels  under  deck.  After  our  captain 
had  agreed  with  the  purser  of  the  Blenheim  upon  the  price  of 
the  cattle  and  all  the  other  articles,  with  a  portion  of  hay, 
grain,  etc.,  etc.,  to  save  time,  or  rather  not  to  lose  theirs,  the 
Blenheim  took  our  schooner  in  tow,  for  the  purpose  of  trans- 
porting the  articles  purchased  from  the  schooner  to  the  flag- 
ship; they  took  a  large  rope  hawser  from  the  stern  of  the 
Blenheim,  and  made  it  fast  to  our  foremast.  When  this  was 
done,  they  filled  away,  and  stood  on  their  course  to  the  N.  E., 
under  easy  sail,  taking  our  little  bark  along  with  them.  The 
contrast  in  the  size  of  the  74  and  the  "Betsey  and  Polly,"  was 
as  striking  as  would  be  a  jolly-boat  towed  by  a  large  merchant 
ship.  The  oxen  were  transported  from  our  schooner  to  the 
Blenheim  with  great  rapidity  ;  a  strap  was  fastened  round  the 


30     VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  BETSEY  AND  POLLY. 

horns  of  the  animal,  which  was  then  thrown  overboard,  and, 
with  a  hne  attached,  hauled  alongside,  and  hoisted  on  board 
by  the  head  with  the  capstan,  with  the  cheering  music  of  the 
shrill  fife,  to  keep  time,  and  give  life  and  animation  to  the 
novelty  of  the  scene.  In  fine,  the  seamen  and  marines  seemed 
to  make  a  frolic  of  getting  a  supply  of  fresh  provisions,  where 
they  so  little  expected  to  find  it.  In  the  course  of  five  or  six 
hours,  we  sold  and  delivered  a  large  portion  of  our  cargo. 
For  the  cattle  and  other  large  articles,  our  captain  received 
his  pay  in  British  government  bills,  while  the  officers,  passen- 
gers, and  seamen,  paid  for  all  they  purchased  in  gold  and 
silver.  They  paid  liberal  prices  for  all  they  bought,  and 
treated  us  politely ;  and,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
case,  our  captain  did  not  much  complain  against  being  taken 
some  30  or  40  miles  out  of  our  course.  The  poor  merchant 
ships,  however,  did  not  fare  quite  so  well  as  the  men-of-war. 

The  admiral  gave  a  general  order  that  the  boats  of  the 
merchant  ships  should  not  be  permitted  to  go  on  board  of  our 
schooner  until  the  men-of-war  were  supplied.  I  recollect  one 
poor  merchant  captain  pulled  up  under  our  lee,  and  came  on 
board  for  some  fowls.  He  said  he  had  several  sick  passengers 
on  board  (ladies  and  gentlemen),  and  must  liave  some  poultry 
at  all  hazards.  They  hailed  him  from  the  flag-ship,  and 
threatened  to  punish  him  if  he  did  not  leave  the  schooner,  and 
that  they  would  certainly  fire  upon  him.  He  told  our  cap- 
tain, in  an  under-tone,  that  they  might  fire  and  be  d — d,  if 
they  chose, — supplies  for  his  sick  passengers  he  would  have, 
if  they  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot.  In  this  dilemma,  our  mate 
assisted  him  to  smuggle  a  dozen  fowls  into  his  boat,  when  he 
shoved  off.  At  first  it  was  anuising  to  sec  quite  a  number  of 
boats  sent  from  the  merchant  ships  attempt  to  come  on  board  ; 
but  after  a  few  muskets  were  discharged  with  balls  whistling 
about  their  vars,  they  were  glad  to  return  to  their  respective 
ships,  and  accommodate  themselves  to  circumstances.  After 
all  the  men-of-war  were  sujiplicMl,  a  fresh  breeze  sprung  up, 
and  we  were  cast  off  from  the  IJlonheim.  It  was  then  too 
late  for  the  merchant  ships  to  purchase  any  thing.     As  it  hap- 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  BETSEY  AND  POLLY,     31 

penod,  we  found  a  better  market  on  the  broad  ocean  tlian  we 
eventually  met  with,  on  our  arrival  at  our  destined  port.  We 
soon  got  clear  of  the  fleet,  and  proceeded  on  our  way,  rejoic- 
ing at  our  good  fortune.  I  was  told  the  admiral  of  the  fleet 
had  lately  married  the  daughter  of  some  rich  planter,  in  one  of 
the  West  India  Islands,  and  had  his  wife  with  him,  on  the  way 
to  England  ;  so  that  they  were  probably  spending  their  honey- 
moon at  sea.  Captain  Townsend  was  a  gentleman,  in  all  his 
tastes  and  habits  of  life,  very  well  educated,  a  good  navigator, 
and  an  excellent  lunarian.  He  had  recently  made  a  sealing 
voyage  to  Massafuero,  in  the  Pacific,  with  Captain  Daniel  T. 
Green,  in  the  ship  Neptune,  of  New  Haven,  and  in  that  ship 
had  circumnavigated  the  globe.  He  wrote  a  good  hand,  and 
kept  a  neat  journal.  While  on  board  of  the  Blenheim,  the 
admiral  inquired  of  him,  whether  he  knew  what  longitude 
they  were  in  ?  Captain  T.  sent  for  his  journal,  and  pointed 
out  the  exact  position  of  the  fleet,  and  explained  every  thing 
so  clearly  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  admiral  and  his  officers, 
that  they  appeared  astonished  to  find  in  the  captain  of  a  little 
horse-jockey  schooner,  a  man  so  an  fait  on  all  subjects  re- 
lating to  the  navigation  of  distant  seas ;  for  at  this  period,  it 
was  rare  to  meet  with  a  scientific,  efficient  navigator,  and  not 
one  ship  in  a  hundred  was  furnished  with  a  chronometer. 

After  separating  from  the  English  fleet,  nothing  happened 
worth  recording.  We  generally  had  good  weather,  but  very 
light,  baffling  winds,  and  did  not  arrive  at  Barbadoes  until  the 
4th  of  August,  after  a  long  and  tedious  passage  of  44  days. 
The  captain  landed  in  our  own  boat  to  try  the  market,  while 
the  schooner  stood  oft'  and  on  opposite  the  harbor.  In  a  few 
hours  Captain  T,  returned  on  board,  finding  he  could  dispose 
of  nothing  to  any  advantage.  We  then  made  sail  for  the 
neighboring  Island  of  St,  Lucie.  At  this  place  we  disposed  of 
the  rest  of  our  cargo,  except  the  corn-meal,  and  a  few  other 
small  articles.  St,  Lucie  is  a  high,  mountainous  island,  30 
miles  long  and  about  12  broad.  It  possesses  an  excellent  har- 
bor, decidedly  the  best  in  the  West  Indies,    But  unfortunately, 


82     VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  BETSEY  AND  POLLY. 

it  is  often  very  sickly.  Its  principal  produce  is  sugar,  coffee, 
rum,  and  molasses.  We  lay  in  this  port  about  20  days,  and 
then  sailed  for  the  Island  of  St.  Martin's.  Here  we  sold  the 
residue  of  our  cargo,  and  took  on  board  sugar,  rum,  and  molas- 
ses in  payment,  and  after  lying  here  three  weeks,  we  again 
sailed  for  home,  and  had  a  pleasant  passage  of  22  days,  to 
New  Haven.  In  a  few  days  after  our  arrival  I  was  discharged. 
I  will  liere  take  occasion  to  say  that  Captain  Townsend  is  one 
of  the  most  gentlemanly  men  I  ever  sailed  with.  He  was 
kind  and  humane,  and  in  a  word,  is  a  most  excellent,  worthy 
man. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  MAKSIIALL  FROM  NEW-YOEK  TO  LEGHORN, 
AND  FROM  THENCE  TO  NEW  ORLEANS,  WITH  CAPT.  WILLIAM 
HETH,  IN  THE  YEARS  180G  AND  1807. 

I  HAD  at  this  period  just  returned  from  a  voyage  to 
Teneriffe  ;  and  being  anxious  for  active  employment,  I 
shipped  (on  the  20th  of  June)  as  chief  mate  with  Cap- 
tain Heth,  on  board  the  Marshall,  bound  to  Leghorn.  The 
principal  part  of  her  cargo  was  Calcutta  sugar  in  bags.  The 
ship  was  about  280  tons  burden,  and  was  owned  by  Messrs. 
Archibald  Gracie  and  George  M.  Woolsey,  Esquires.  We 
sailed  from  New- York  on  the  first  of  July,  and  after  a  pleasant 
passage  of  38  days,  arrived  at  Gibraltar,  where  we  lay  two 
days.  Here  we  took  on  board  several  casks  of  water,  sea- 
stores,  etc.,  when  we  again  made  sail  for  our  destined  port.  I 
do  not  recollect  any  thing  worth  noticing,  until  we  got  near 
Cape  de  Gatt,  where  we  were  becalmed  for  two  days.  The 
weather  was  very  warm,  the  sky  bright  and  clear,  the  sea  as 
smooth  as  glass,  and  literally  covered  with  turtle. 

We  got  out  our  boats,  and  took  a  great  number  of  them 
with  little  or  no  trouble.  They  generally  weighed  from  30  to 
601bs.,  and  appeared  to  be  asleep  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
While  we  lay  here,  we  saw  another  ship  and  a  brig,  with  their 
boats  out  also  catching  turtle.  This  was  to  me  a  novel  sight : 
I  had  never  before,  nor  have  I  ever  since,  seen  so  great  a  num- 
ber of  them  together. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  passage  we  had  generally 
3 


34  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   MARSHALL. 

light  winds  and  fine  weather,  until  we  arrived  at  Leghorn,  on 
the  23d  of  August,  54  days  from  New- York.  We  were  visited 
by  the  health  boat,  and  were  ordered  to  remain  in  quarantine 
in  the  Roads,  until  all  our  cargo  was  discharged  and  stored  at 
the  Lazaretto.  (At  this  place  we  were  consigned  to  the  com- 
mercial house  of  Messrs.  Grant,  Webb  &  Co.) 

At  the  Lazaretto  there  were  several  large  stone  warehouses, 
around  which  was  a  high  wall,  separating  it  entirely  from  the 
city ;  and  here  all  vessels  in  quarantine  were  allowed  to  store 
their  cargoes.  We  soon  commenced  discharging,  and  when 
the  cargo  was  about  half  out,  a  strong  gale  from  the  W.  S.  W. 
drove  our  ship  on  shore,  taking  both  anchors  along  with  her. 
Fortunately  the  bottom  was  soft,  and  she  received  no  damage ; 
and  when  the  remainder  of  the  cargo  was  taken  out,  we  hove 
her  otr  without  much  difficulty. 

We  then  got  pratique,  and  went  into  the  inner  harbor. 
During  the  time  we  were  in  quarantine,  all  letters  from  us  were 
taken  with  a  pair  of  long  tongs,  and  smoked  with  brimstone. 

It  sometimes  happened  that  a  ship  not  in  quarantine  was 
forced,  by  some  unavoidable  circumstance,  to  touch  another 
lying  in  quarantine  ;  and  if  it  should  so  happen  that  any  part 
of  her  tackle  came  in  contact,  for  example,  a  gib  or  any  small 
sail,  it  was  immediately  unbent  and  sent  to  the  Lazaretto, 
there  to  remain  for  a  certain  number  of  days. 

After  the  foregoing  recital,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that 
here  these  laws  are  fully  carried  out,  both  as  to  the  letter  and 
spirit. 

The  captain  of  the  Marshall  was  a  native  of  Richmond, 
Virginia,  well  educated,  polite  and  gentlemanly  in  his  deport- 
ment. He  was  kind  and  generous  to  a  fault,  but  extremely 
quick  and  passionate.  He,  however,  treated  me  with  great 
kindness,  and  allowed  me  every  reasonable  indulgence.  While 
lying  here,  he  gave  me  leave  of  absence  for  three  days  to 
visit  Pisa,  which  was  in  ancient  times  a  great  city,  but  now 
contains  only  about  20,000  inhabitants.  It  is  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Arno,  13  miles  from  Leghorn,  and  lying  N. 
N.  E.  from  that  city. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   MARSHALL.  35 

Pisa,  though  a  dull  town,  still  retains  many  marks  of  its 
former  grandeur,  viz.,  its  fine  marble  bridges,  magnificent  ca- 
thedral, fine  stone  quays,  and  ancient  palaces.  The  old  lean- 
ing tower,  202  feet  high,  is  also  a  great  curiosity.  From  the 
top  of  this  I  had  a  fine  view  of  the  Arno,  and  the  surrounding 
country.  While  walking  about  this  town,  I  met  with  many 
objects  which  reminded  one  of  its  extreme  antiquity,  and  when 
I  reflected  on  its  bygone  importance,  and  considered  what  it 
now  is,  it  produced  feelings  not  unlike  those  which  we  expe- 
rience while  gazing  on  the  mouldering  ruins  of  a  once  mag- 
nificent cathedral. 

At  Pisa,  the  living  is  good  and  cheap,  but  a  stranger  meets 
with  many  annoyances  ;  importuned  at  every  step  by  beggars, 
and  while  at  the  hotels ;  bands  of  musicians  both  vocal  and 
instrumental,  never  cease  their  singing  and  their  playing  until 
they  are  paid  to  retire  ;  bating  these  and  some  other  lesser  evils, 
there  are  many  things  to  admire.  The  climate  is  generally 
good  and  healthful,  the  fruit  and  wine  delicious.  The  ancient 
and  modern  pictures  and  sculptures  in  the  churches  are  well 
worth  the  attention  of  strangers.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
allotted  time,  I  returned  to  the  ship  well  pleased  with  my  visit. 
We  now  commenced  in  good  earnest  taking  in  our  cargo, 
which  consisted  of  variegated  marble  slabs,  wine,  oil,  olives, 
soap,  almonds,  etc.,  etc.,  and  after  lying  in  this  port  about  two 
months,  sailed  on  the  23d  of  October.  We  had  a  pleasant 
passage  down  the  Mediterranean,  passed  Gibraltar  on  the  3d 
of  November,  and  the  next  day  were  fairly  out  on  the  broad 
Atlantic.  We  ran  down  to  the  southward  and  westward,  and 
soon  got  into  the  regular  trade-winds.  When  drawing  near 
the  Bahama  Islands,  we  steered  for  the  Hole-in  the-Wall,  on 
the  south  end  of  Abaco,  in  the  parallel  of  latitude  26°  10',  as 
laid  down  in  the  navigation  books  in  general  use  at  that  time, 
particularly  the  one  by  Hamilton  Moore. 

We  made  the  land  about  twenty  miles  to  the  northward  of 
the  Hole-in-the-Wall,  and  came  very  near  getting  aground  by 
taking  this  erroneous  latitude.     We  were  consequently  obliged 


36  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SHIP  MARSHALL. 

to  make  several  tacks  to  the  southward,  and  were  thus  detain- 
ed several  hours.  It  is  now  ascertained  that  the  true  position 
of  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  is  latitude  25^51' north,  longitude,  77° 
9'  west.  I  will  here  remark,  that  the  old  navigation  books  are 
not  at  all  to  be  depended  upon,  particularly  those  relating  to 
the  Bahama  Islands  and  Banks,  At  that  time  there  were  no 
light-houses  along  the  Florida  shore,  and  the  charts  were  mis- 
erable. Our  voyage  was  very  much  prolonged  in  consequence 
of  the  ship  not  being  coppered.  She  was  sheathed  with  pine 
boards,  and  her  bottom  was  literally  covered  with  barnacles  and 
sea-grass. 

After  a  long  and  tedious  passage  of  seventy-six  days,  we 
arrived  off  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  on  the  11th  of  January, 
1807,  where  we  had  a  severe  gale  from  the  N.  W.  which  lasted 
about  a  week,  and  prevented  our  getting  into  the  river  until 
the  18th.  We  entered  by  the  N.  E.  pass  (where  the  block- 
house now  stands),  which  was  then  the  deepest  and  best  chan- 
nel. The  pilots,  at  that  time,  were  all  iiired  by  the  month, 
and  regulated  by  Messrs.  Johnson  &  Bradish ;  they  were  gen- 
erally old  sailors.  Messrs.  J.  &.  B.  likewise  owned  several 
small  schooners,  em})loyed  as  lighters. 

On  our  passage  up  the  Mississippi  we  got  the  ship  aground, 
and  were  obliged  to  discharge  a  large  portion  of  the  cargo  on 
the  bank  of  the  river  ;  we  also  hired  a  schooner  from  Johnson 
&  Bradish  to  take  a  part  of  it  up  to  New  Orleans.  After  get- 
ting the  ship  afloat,  we  reloaded  with  our  own  boats.  This 
unfortunate  affair  detained  us  eight  days.  We  at  length  ar- 
rived at  New  Orleans  on  the  8th  of  February,  twenty-one 
days  after  entering  the  river,  and  ahimdred  and  four  days  from 
Leghorn. 

At  this  time  there  was  not  a  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi, 
and  vessels  were  frequently  from  ten  to  twenty,  and  large 
heavy  ships  even  thirty  days,  getting  up  from  the  Balize  to 
New  Orleans.  It  was,  indeed,  a  tiresome,  laborious  business 
to  ascend  the  river  against  the  current,  sailing  when  the  wind 
was  fair,  and  when  ahead  warping  and  tracking,  and  often  to 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   MARSHALL.  37 

gain  but  a  few  miles  a  day.  Wlieii  the  wind  was  ahead  and 
the  current  running  very  strong,  we  often  made  fast  a  large 
hawser  to  a  tree  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  heaved  the  ship 
ahead  by  the  capstan  or  windlass ;  and  thus  by  main  force, 
after  many  hours  of  hard  labor,  we  found  we  had  gained  only 
a  mile  or  two. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1803,  the  United  States  Government 
purchased  Louisiana  from  France,  and  on  the  30th  of  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year.  General  Wilivinson  was  sent  with  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  U.  S.  troops  to  garrison  and  protect  New- 
Orleans,  which  at  that  time  contained  only  about  8,000  inhab- 
itants, who  were  principally  French  and  Spanish.  At  this 
time,  March,  I  should  judge,  there  were  about  9,500  to  10,000 
souls. 

I  will  now  relate  an  incident  which  occurred  during  my  stay 
in  this  city.  It  was  as  follows  :  A  soldier  belonging  to  the  U. 
S.  army,  under  the  command  of  General  Wilkinson,  had  de- 
serted twice,  was  taken  and  brought  back,  and  after  some  sHght 
punishment  was  pardoned.  Not  long  after  this  he  deserted  a 
third  time  ;  he  was  again  taken,  brought  back,  tried  by  a  court- 
martial,  and  condemned  to  be  shot. 

On  the  day  of  the  execution,  the  troops  were  all  paraded 
on  the  public  square,  witii  a  large  band  of  music,  muffled 
drums,  etc.  In  the  centre  of  thetroo))s  four  men  were  bearing 
a  coffin  on  a  bier,  when  the  culprit  was  taken  from  prison  with 
his  hands  bound  behind  him,  and  ordered  to  walk  behind  the 
men  who  bore  his  coffin.  Thus  prepared,  the  whole  squadron 
commenced  marching  with  slow  and  solemn  steps,  the  band 
playing  the  "Dead  March  ;"  while  thousands  of  spectators  fol- 
lowed on,  as  was  supposed  to  witness  the  execution. 

In  this  manner  the  whole  cortege  proceeded  just  outside  of 
the  town,  to  a  lonely  place,  where  there  was  a  grave  prepared. 
Here  the  music  ceased  playing,  the  coffin  was  placed  near 
the  grave  of  the  culprit,  twelve  men  were  ordered  out  of  the 
ranks,  with  their  muskets  loaded,  ready  for  the  execution. 

The  deserter  saw  all  the  preparations,  and  was  then  blind- 


38  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  MARSHALL. 

folded.  All  were  waiting  with  breathless  expectation  to  hear 
the  fatal  word  given  to  fire,  when  an  officer  took  from  his 
pocket  and  read  a  \vritten  reprieve  from  Mr.  Madison,  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States.  I  was  near  enough  to  witness  the 
whole  transaction,  and  up  to  this  moment  the  man  bore  his 
fate  with  great  fortitude ;  but  when  the  word  reprieve  caught 
his  ear,  it  completely  overpowered  him,  and  he  could  with 
difficulty  stand  without  assistance. 

At  this  moment  a  sentiment  of  thrilling  gladness  seemed  to 
pervade  the  whole  assemblage,  and  with  shouts  of  joy  every 
body  appeared  to  return  to  town  with  light  hearts.  It  was 
said  the  mother  and  sisters  of  the  soldier  obtained  his  pardon 
through  Mrs.  Madison.  I  understood,  that  by  a  military  order 
the  man  was  dismissed  from  the  army ;  had  his  head  shav^ed, 
and  was  drummed  out  of  town. 

The  consignee  of  our  ship  was  Mr.  George  M.  Phillips. 
This  gentleman  sold  a  part  of  our  cargo  on  the  levee,  and 
put  the  residue  into  his  warehouse.  This  occupied  some  ten 
or  fifteen  days.  There  being  at  this  period  no  steamboats,  all 
the  merchandise  that  was  sent  into  the  interior  was  taken  in 
long,  narrow  keel-boats,  propelled  by  oars,  and  furnished  with 
long  boat-hooks,  to  haul  up  by  the  trees  and  bushes  along  the 
banks  of  the  river.  By  this  mode  of  transportation,  it  neces- 
sarily occupied  some  months  to  make  a  voyage  to  St.  Louis. 

At  this  period,  1807,  Mexico  was  a  colony  of  Spain,  and  no 
ship  or  vessel  was  allowed  to  trade  there  except  by  a  special 
license  from  the  Spanish  Government.  The  colony  manufac- 
tured little  or  nothing,  and  of  course  was  entirely  dependent  on 
Europe  and  tlie  United  States  for  almost  all  their  clothing  and 
articles  of  luxury.  To  pay  for  these  maiuitactured  goods  they 
had  nothing  ])ut  the  precious  metals,  and  a  few  articles  of 
drugs  and  dye-stnlls,  such  as  jalap,  sarsaparilla,  cochineal, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  Vera  Cruz  was  the  only  port  in  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico where  foreign  ships  were  allowed  to  enter,  and  here  cen- 
tered nearly  all  its  commerce.  This  circumstance  will  ac- 
count for  the  high  prices  of  almost  all  kinds  of  European 
goods. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE   SHIP   MAESHALL.  39 

Vast  quantities  of  dollars  were  brought  down  from  the  city 
of  Mexico,  and  all  exported  from  this  place.  It  had  long  been 
the  policy  of  Spain  to  exclude  her  American  colonies  from  any 
commerce  or  intercourse  with  other  nations,  and  thus  they 
were  shut  out  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  kept  in  ignorance 
of  their  own  rights  and  privileges,  in  order  to  enrich  the  mo- 
ther country  at  their  expense. 

At  this  time  I  had  frequent  conversations  with  intelligent 
Spaniards  on  this  subject,  and  they  all  agieed,  that  if  they 
could  exclude  strangers  from  South  America,  they  would  be 
able  to  retain  their  colonies  for  at  least  another  century. 

They  said,  moreover,  that  if  the  people  could  be  kept  in 
ignorance,  they  would  be  far  happier,  enjoying  their  religion 
unmolested,  and  live  in  a  simple  state,  void  of  ambition  and  a 
thousand  artificial  wants  ;  they  furthermore  added,  your  coun- 
trymen, the  North  Americans,  are  the  most  to  be  feared,  for  if 
the  seeds  of  Republicanism  are  once  sown  among  them,  they 
will  be  lost  to  us  forever. 

After  our  ship  was  discharged  she  was  advertised  for  sale, 
and  lay  idle  for  some  weeks.  Captain  Heth,  who  was  always 
a  kind  friend  of  mine,  was  willing  to  discharge  me,  to  promote 
my  interest;  and  thus,  by  mutual  consent,  I  left  his  ship,  and 
joined  the  schooner  Centurion  in  March,  1807. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  CENTURION  FROM  NEW  ORLEANS 
TO  VERA  CRUZ,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW  ORLEANS,  WITH  CAPT.  JOHN 
WALLER,  IN  THE  YEAR  1807. 

At  this  period  there  was  lying  in  this  port  a  fine,  fast-saihng 
schooner,  called  the  Centurion,  commanded  by  John  Waller, 
and  was  in  part  or  wholly  owned  by  Archibald  Gracie,  Esq., 
of  New- York.  The  owners  or  agents  of  this  schooner  had  ob- 
tained a  license  from  the  Government  of  Old  Spain,  with  direc- 
tions to  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  to  admit  a  certain  amount  of 
merchandise,  such  as  German  linens,  and  other  articles  of  mer- 
chandise, all  of  which  were  to  correspond  with  the  license. 
The  business  of  this  vessel  was  conducted  by  a  German  mer- 
chant residing  here,  by  the  name  of  Vincent  Nolte,  Esq. 

In  this  schooner  I  obtained  a  situation  as  chief  mate  ;  she 
was  soon  loaded  and  ready  for  sea.  On  the  lOth  of  March  we 
sailed  down  the  river,  bound  for  Vera  Cruz  :  in  two  days  we 
got  clear  of  the  Balize,  and  seven  days  after  came  to  anchor 
at  our  destined  port.  'We  soon  landed  the  cargo  according  to 
the  license.  I  had  a  small  adventure,  which  I  disposed  of  at 
an  enormous  profit ;  common  printed  calico  sold  for  one  dollar 
per  yard,  mock  Madras  handkerchiefs  at  $12  per  dozen,  and 
most  other  kinds  of  European  goods  in  like  proportion  ;  in  fine, 
they  appeared  to  be  in  want  of  every  thing,  and  had  money  in 
abundance  to  pay  for  all  they  bought.  After  landing  the  cargo, 
we  took  on  board  a  quantity  of  stone  ballast,  and  many  thou- 
sand dollars  in  specie,  the  exact  Amount  of  which  I  do  not  re- 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  CENTURION.  41 

collect.  We  lay  here  about  a  fortnight,  when  we  again  sailed, 
and  after  a  pleasant  passage  of  15  days,  got  safe  back  to  New 
Orleans  on  the  7th  of  April,  thus  making  the  entire  voyage  in 
38  days.  This  voyage  proved  so  successful,  that  it  induced 
the  owners  or  agents  at  New  Orleans  to  make  another  forth- 
with in  the  same  vessel ;  and  as  every  person  on  board  partici- 
pated in  a  greater  or  less  degree  in  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise, the  captain,  mate,  and  all  hands  remained  by  the  good 
Centurion. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  CENTURION  TO  VERA  CRUZ  AND 
BACK  TO  NEW  ORLEANS,  WITH  CAPT.  J.  WALLER,  IN  THE  YEAR 
1807. 

We  were  soon  loaded  again,  and  growing  bold  by  success,  and 
believing  the  King  of  Spain  had  no  right  to  deprive  his  Ameri- 
can subjects  of  a  few  European  luxuries,  both  agents,  officers, 
and  seamen,  took  goods  not  manifested  ;  and  thus  we  sailed 
on  a  second  voyage,  on  the  20th  of  May.  I  do  not  recollect 
any  thing  on  our  passage  down  to  Vera  Cruz  worth  recording, 
except  that  we  had  more  calms  and  adverse  winds  than  on  the 
last  voyage,  and  did  not  arrive  until  the  first  of  June,  making 
our  passage  eleven  days.  We  soon  commenced  unloading  the 
cargo,  and  after  we  had  discharged  one  lighter  load,  the  cus- 
tom house  officers  came  on  board,  and  began  to  search  for 
contraband  goods  ;  unfortunately  they  found  a  large  amount  of 
mercliandise  not  manifested.  1  sufiered  severely  with  the 
rest ;  they  seized  the  greater  part  of  my  private  adventure,  as 
well  as  whatever  belonged  to  the  agents  and  seamen.  What 
the  difficulty  was  I  was  not  able  to  learn  correctly,  but  think 
it  proceeded  from  the  consignees  not  paying  the  custom  house 
officers  a  fair  compensation  on  the  last  voyage ;  at  any  rate 
there  was  a  breach  of  good  faith  somewhere,  and  we  all  suf- 
fered in  consequence  of  bad  management  on  the  part  of  those 
whose  business  it  was  to  have  arranged  every  thing  upon  ami- 
cable terms.     I  have  almost  always  found  that  if  good  faith 


SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  CENTURION.  43 

by  fliose  enga2;ed  in  smuggling  is  kept,  tliat  the  Spanish  cus- 
tom house  officers  will  never  betray  you  ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, if  they  find  more  goods  than  you  represent,  and  deceive 
them  in  the  quantity,  they  are  always  on  the  watch  to  have 
their  revenge.  After  they  had  loaded  a  lighter  with  goods  not 
specified  in  the  license,  they  were  all  taken  on  shore  and  no 
one  dared  to  own  them,  and  to  allay  the  excitement  and  stop 
the  public  clamor,  it  was  necessary  to  account  for  these  articles ; 
it  was  therefore  judged  best  to  throw  the  blame  upon  some 
one,  and  I  was  persuaded  to  assume  the  ownership  of  all  goods 
not  manifested,  and  thus  it  was  asserted  that  they  all  belonged 
to  the  mate,  and  that  he  had  decamped  and  left  every  thing 
behind  ;  and  to  carry  out  this  arrangement,  that  night  I  went 
quietly  on  board  a  Spanish  sloop-of-war  which  was  lying  in 
port.  In  the  morning  it  was  reported  that  the  mate  had  de- 
serted, and  the  whole  business  was  hushed  up  and  settled. 
The  few  remaining  goods  that  had  not  been  found,  were  taken 
on  shore  by  the  boats  of  a  Spanish  man  of- war,  and  given  up 
to  our  consignee.  The  Captain  of  the  ship-of-war  was  a 
great  friend  of  his,  and  used  to  dine  with  him  almost  daily ; 
he  gave  orders  to  his  officers  to  furnish  me  with  a  state  room 
while  I  remained  on  board  his  ship  ;  and  also  told  his  Steward 
to  provide  me  with  every  thing  I  wanted. 

At  night  I  occasionally  made  a  visit  to  our  schooner,  and 
when  she  was  ready  for  sea  I  went  on  board.  We  sailed 
from  Vera  Cruz  on  the  23d  of  June,  and  here  the  farce  was 
concluded,  and  my  golden  dreams  at  an  end.  We  had  no  re- 
turn cargo,  except  specie — the  number  of  dollars  I  do  not 
remember;  it  was,  however,  very  large;  but,  for  fear  of  mis- 
take, I  will  leave  it  indefinite. 

We  had  a  short  and  pleasant  passage  of  eight  days  to  the 
Balize,  and  got  to  New  Orleans  on  tlie  7th  of  July.  About  a 
week  after  our  arrival,  the  schooner  was  sold,  when  tlie  cap- 
tain, mate,  and  all  hands  were  discharged  ;  and  here  ended  my 
second  voyage  in  the  schooner  Centurion. 

About  a  week  after  being  discharged  from  the  Centurion, 


*♦ 


44  SECOISTD  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  CENTURION. 

Captain  Waller  got  the  command  of  a  little  pilot-boat  schooner, 
called  the  Hetty,  and  as  I  was  desirous  to  return  to  New- York, 
I  shipped  with  him  as  mate.  We  got  ready  for  sea,  and  left 
New  Orleans  on  the  1st  of  August,  bound  to  New- York. 
This  was  a  poor  little  craft,  and  leaked  badly  all  the  passage ; 
and  had  it  not  been  a  fine  season  of  the  year,  she  would 
probably  never  have  reached  her  destined  port.  We,  how- 
ever, got  along  pretty  well,  and  arrived  safe  at  the  quarantine 
ground,  Staten  Island,  on  the  22d  of  August.  We  performed 
four  days  quarantine,  and  were  then  allowed  to  proceed  to 
the  city,  where  we  were  all  discharged. 

After  getting  to  New- York,  we  found  this  city,  and  in 
short  the  whole  country,  in  a  state  of  great  agitation,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  dastardly  attack  of  the  British  ship-of-war 
Leopard  on  the  United  States  frigate  Chesapeake,  Commodore 
James  Barron.  This  cowardly  transaction  occurred  on  the 
22d  of  June,  1807,  just  two  months  previous  to  our  arrival ; 
still  the  agitation  and  intense  excitement  had  not  much  sub- 
sided. This  unnatural  and  barbarous  attack  took  place  in  a 
time  of  profound  peace,  when  the  Chesapeake  was  but  a  few 
hours  out  of  port,  bound  to  the  Mediterranean — more  in  the 
position  of  a  store-ship  than  a  man-of-war;  her  decks  were 
lumbered  up,  and  she  not  at  all  in  a  situation  to  use  her  guns, 
and  in  all  human  probability  never  dreaming  it  possible  that 
she  would  be  molested  ;  in  short,  it  was  more  like  the  treachery 
of  an  Algerine  cruiser  than  a  transaction  of  a  Christian  nation. 
If  the  captain  of  the  Leopard  had  possessed  the  honorable 
feelings  of  a  gentleman,  he  would  have  said  to  Captain  Barron, 
I  have  positive  orders  from  my  admiral  to  take  three  English 
seamen  out  of  your  ship,  and  if  you  are  not  willing  to  give 
them  up,  I  must  take  them  by  force  ;  and  if  your  ship  is  not 
in  fighting  trim,  I  will  wait  two  hours  to  give  you  sufficient 
time  to  prepare  for  action. 

I  say,  had  he  taken  this  honorable  course,  the  United 
States  and  the  world  at  large  would  have  sustained  him, 
whatever  might  have  been  the  result,  and  every  honest  and 
true-hearted  American  would  have  been  satisfied. 


SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  CENTURION.  45 

Such  a  course  of  conduct  would  not  liave  engendered  the 
bitter  feehngs  of  resentment  which  at  this  period  pervaded  the 
whole  nation.  Every  patriot  said  and  felt,  that  justice  may 
slumber  for  a  while,  but  the  day  of  reckoning  must  and  will 
come,  when,  in  the  fair  field  of  open-handed  combat,  the 
world  will  see  that  the  Americans  can  and  will  avenge  the 
many  wrongs  they  have  so  often  received  from  England.  I 
do  not  say  that  Commodore  Barron  was  entirely  free  from 
censure,  in  not  having  his  ship  ready  for  action ;  but  1  do 
assert,  from  a  personal  acquaintance  witli  him,  and  a  knowl- 
edge of  his  character  for  many  years,  that  he  was  a  brave 
man,  and  well  worthy  the  confidence  of  his  country. 

This  affair,  though  at  the  time  so  mortifying  to  every 
American  bosom,  has  been  of  immense  advantage  to  the 
United  States  navy ;  it  has  taught  all  who  belong  to  it  to  be 
ever  ready,  at  the  first  tap  of  the  drum,  to  rush  to  quarters, 
and  then  look  up  at  the  emblem  of  liberty,  with  its  stars  and 
stripes  gracefully  waving  over  their  heads,  and  with  one 
heart  and  one  voice  to  exclaim, — Strike,  for  God  and  our 
country ! 

After  an  absence  of  thirteen  months,  I  was  extremely 
anxious  to  visit  my  mother,  and  other  near  relatives  in  Con- 
necticut. I  had  long  anticipated  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
those  so  dear  to  my  heart,  and  it  was  a  sad  disappointment 
not  to  be  able  to  accomplish  this  long-cherished  desire ;  but, 
alas !  I  was  deprived  of  all  my  fond  hopes,  from  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  case. 

On  my  arrival  I  found  my  former  owner,  Archibald  Gracie, 
Esq.,  had  built  a  beautiful  pilot-boat  schooner  for  the  Vera  Cruz 
trade,  and  called  her  the  Hamilton.  He  requested  me  to  go 
chief  mate  of  this  fine  vessel,  and  I  forthwith  repaired  on 
board. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FIEST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  HAMILTON  FEOM  NEW-YORK, 
TO  VERA  CRUZ,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  WITH  CAPTAIN  J. 
WALLER,  IN  1807. 


The  Hamilton  was  about  one  hundred  tons  burden,  quite 
new,  and  surpassed  in  speed  and  beauty  any  sailing  vessel 
of  this  description  in  the  United  States.  No  pains  or  expense 
had  been  spared  to  make  her  perfect  in  every  respect.  She 
was  built  under  the  inspection  of  Mr.  Thomas  Williams,  one 
of  the  most  experienced  New- York  pilots  of  his  day  ;  and,  to 
insure  safety  in  flight,  Mr.  W.  was  hired  to  go  a  voyage  to 
Vera  Cruz  in  this  schooner,  as  pilot  and  assistant  sailing- 
master. 

I  found  this  fine  vessel  nearly  loaded  with  a  rich  cargo  of 
German  and  English  goods,  and  John  Waller  was  appointed 
to  the  command  ;  myself,  chief  mate  ;  Robert  Adamson,  second 
mate ;  Captain  James  Brown,  supercargo ;  with  a  crew  of 
fifteen  men. 

Though  we  had  a  numerous  crew,  they  were  not  taken  to 
fight — for  we  had  no  guns — but  to  make  and  take  in  sail  with 
all  possible  dispatch,  and  to  run,  when  it  became  necessary  ; 
and,  for  this  purpose,  were  supplied  with  ten  large  oars  or 
sweeps,  to  use  in  light  winds  and  calm  weather ;  with  orders 
from  the  owner  to  speak  nothing,  and  run  away  from  every 
sail  we  saw  on  the  ocean.     And  being  thus  completely  fitted, 


FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER   HAMILTON.  47 

we  sailed  from  New- York  on  the  31st  of  August,  and  had  a 
pleasant  passage  off  the  coast ;  but  owing  to  some  mistake  on 
the  part  of  the  captain,  in  lieu  of  making  Turk's  Island,  we 
fell  to  leeward,  and  on  the  12th  of  September,  at  10  in  the 
morning,  made  the  island  of  Grand  Caycos,  bearing  south 
15  miles  distant.  In  consequence  of  falling  in  so  far  to  the 
leeward,  we  were  obliged  to  make  several  tacks  to  windward, 
and  did  not  get  fairly  into  Turk's  Island  passage  until  4 
o'clock,  P.  M.  We,  however,  passed  through  it  without  any 
difficulty. 

The  first  part  of  the  next  day  the  wind  was  light,  and  we 
made  but  little  progress.  About  noon,  this  day,  we  saw  two 
small  sail  on  our  starboard  beam,  in  chase  of  us  ;  in  the  after- 
noon, a  fresh  N.  E.  trade  sprung  up,  when  we  soon  ran  them 
both  out  of  sight  astern.  About  9  o'clock,  P.  M.,  it  became 
almost  calm,  so  much  so  that  our  vessel  made  but  very  little 
way  through  the  water;  at  11  o'clock,  two  hours  after,  we  saw 
a  small  sail  astern,  coming  up  very  fast,  with  light  sails  and 
long  sweeps.  We  immediately  manned  our  sweeps,  and 
endeavored  to  make  our  escape,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  She 
soon  commenced  firing  upon  us  with  small  arms,  and  as  we 
could  make  no  resistance,  the  captain  ordered  the  men  to  lay 
in  the  sweeps  and  go  below.  She  was  a  small  lateen-rigged 
craft,  of  some  30  or  40  tons,  full  of  men,  all  armed  to  the 
teeth,  with  pistols  and  long  knives.  They  soon  pulled  up  on 
our  lee-quarter,  and  jumped  on  board — calling  out  for  every 
body  to  go  below.  When  they  found  we  were  not  armed,  and 
could  make  no  resistance,  they  ordered  us  to  lower  down  all 
our  sails,  and  wait  for  their  consort  to  come  up.  The  other 
vessel  was  much  larger,  schooner-rigged,  and  mounted  6 
guns,  with  a  crew  of  fifty  or  sixty  men,  of  all  colors  and  of 
all  nations,  but  principally  Spaniards  and  Frenchmen. 

The  captain  of  the  schooner  boarded  us  in  his  own  boat, 
when  they  all  commenced  overhauling  our  papers  and  stealing 
every  thing  from  the  deck  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon ; 
they  took  all  our  live  stock,  pigs,  ducks,  fowls,  etc.,  all  our  oars. 


48  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN"  THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON. 

spare  cordage,  paints,  etc..  etc. ;  fortunately  our  hatches  were 
battened  down,  and  the  boat  stowed  in  such  a  manner  that 
they  could  not  get  into  the  main  hold  without  much  labor ;  so 
that  they  took  nothing  of  the  cargo.  The  captain  of  the  small 
privateer  was  the  most  savage-looking  rascal  I  ever  saw.  He 
was  tall,  with  a  dark,  ferocious  visage,  large  nose  and  huge 
mustachios,  and,  in  short,  he  was  a  perfect  model  of  a  cut- 
throat. I  am  not  sure  what  countryman  he  was,  but  I  think 
he  was  an  Italian.  He  spoke  bad  French  and  broken  English, 
and  from  that  day  to  this,  whenever  an  assassin  or  robber  is 
spoken  of,  this  fellow's  visage  returns  to  my  memory.  He 
sadly  abused  Capt.  AValler,  striking  him  several  times  in  the 
face  with  his  hat,  and  threatened  to  flog  him  before  he  left  the 
vessel,  because  he  did  not  heave  to  and  prevent  so  long  a 
chase.  The  captain  of  the  schooner  appeared  to  be  a  French- 
man, and  quite  a  different  character  ;  he  used  no  bad  language 
to  any  person  while  on  board  our  vessel,  took  nothing  from  us, 
and  appeared  ashamed  of  the  conduct  of  his  associate.  He 
remarked  to  the  other  captain,  "  If  the  schooner  is  a  lawful 
prize,  let  us  take  her ;  if  not,  let  her  go,  and  not  rob  and  plun- 
der in  this  disgraceful  manner." 

Captain  Brown,  our  supercargo,  with  a  great  deal  of  tact 
and  good  sense,  tipped  them  the  Masonic  signs,  and  ordered 
the  table  spread  with  cold  ham,  bread  and  butter,  cheese,  wine, 
and  porter,  in  short  every  good  thing  that  the  steward  could 
muster,  and  then  invited  them  to  eat  and  drink,  setting  the  ex- 
ample himself;  they  soon  commenced  drinidng  freely  and  sing- 
ing in  high  glee,  and  all  became  good-natured  and  mellow  ex- 
cept the  captain  of  the  small  privateer,  who  would  every  now 
and  then  break  off  to  abuse  our  captain,  who  understood  not 
a  word  of  French  or  Spanish.  Our  steward  was  a  French- 
man, and  a  very  good  fellow.  He  was  full  of  humor,  and 
filled  up  the  glasses  so  often,  that  even  the  cut-throat  captain 
soon  became  better  natured.  In  the  midst  of  this  scene  of 
noise  and  plunder,  I  put  on  a  fine  new  hat  in  hopes  by  that 
means  to  save  it,  and  went  on  deck  ;  soon  after  one  of  the 


FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON.  49 

crew  of  the  small  craft,  stole  it  from  off  my  head  and  returned 
to  the  boat  lying  alongside.  I  immediately  ran  down  below, 
and  asked  his  captain  whether  he  allow^ed  his  men  to  steal  my 
hat  from  my  head.  He  replied  in  Spanish,  "  No,  mate  ;  no  man 
belonging  to  my  vessel  shall  steal  your  hat."  He  told  me  to  go 
to  the  man  in  his  name,  and  get  it  back  ;  I  did  so,  but  the  ras- 
cal refused  to  obey  the  order.  I  then  returned  to  the  cabin, 
and  told  the  captain  that  the  sailor  would  not  give  it  to  me. 
The  captain  ran  on  deck,  and  with  a  threatening  oath  ordered 
the  man  to  return  the  hat ;  the  fellow  was  so  angry  that  he 
threw  it  overboard,  when  one  of  our  men  picked  it  up  and 
gave  it  to  me  ;  this  put  the  scoundrel  into  a  furious  passion,  he 
drew  a  long  knife,  and  swore  that  for  one  rial  he  would  take 
my  life.  In  the  altercation  between  the  captain  and  the  sailor, 
I  overheard  him  tell  his  captain,  that  while  he  was  plunder- 
ing every  thing  for  himself,  he  allowed  him  to  take  nothing ; 
the  captain  replied,  "  D — n  you,  1  don't  steal  hats." 

In  this  manner  they  detained  us  until  about  3  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  the  most  of  them  drunk,  or  nearly  so.  At  this 
time  a  breeze  sprung  up,  when  they  allowed  us  to  make  sail, 
and  we  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  these  vile  robbers.  We  never 
learned  to  what  place  these  pirates  belonged,  but,  from  the  best 
information  we  could  obtain,  concluded  that  they  were  from 
Baracca  in  Cuba.  During  the  remainder  of  the  passage  we 
met  with  no  incident  worth  noticing,  and  on  the  23d  of  Sep- 
tember, came  safe  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz,  after 
a  passage  of  23  days.  We  discharged  our  cargo,  and  had  no 
diliiculty  with  the  custom-house.  We  here  learned  that  about 
ten  days  before  our  arrival  there  had  been  a  violent  gale  from 
the  north,  which  extended  all  along  the  coast ;  that  sixteen  ves- 
sels had  been  driven  on  shore,  and  that  many  lives  were  lost 
in  this  terrible  norther.  When  we  had  discharged  our  cargo, 
we  took  in  some  stone  ballast,  and  fifty  boxes  of  dollars,  each 
containing  three  thousand,  making  a  sum  total  of  $150,000. 

I  sold  my  little  adventure  at  a  profit  of  150  percent.,  which 
gave  me,  as  the  sailors  say,  a  good  chuck  under  the  lee  bow. 

4 


50  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON. 

We  remained  in  port  three  weeks,  and  then  sailed  on  the  16th 
of  October,  and  after  a  passage  of  18  days,  got  safe  back  to 
New- York  on  the  4tli  of  November,  making  the  entire  voyage 
in  65  days. 

I  will  here  remark,  that  although  Mr.  Williams  was  a  good 
pilot,  and  a  good  man,  we  found  it  unnecessary  to  take  a  New- 
York  pilot  with  us  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  that  the  captain  and  offi- 
cers were  fully  competent  to  sail  and  manage  a  pilot-boat 
without  one  ;  and  the  practice  was,  therefore,  discontinued. 

Besides  the  schooner  Hamilton,  Mr.  A.  Gracie  owned 
another  pilot-boat  schooner  called  the  Collector.  They  were 
both  of  them  employed  in  the  Yera  Cruz  trade  ;  sometimes 
they  were  ordered  from  Yera  Cruz  to  Philadelphia,  but  gene- 
rally to  New- York.  Mr.  Oliver  owned,  I  think,  three  pilot-boat 
schooners  in  the  same  trade  from  Baltimore.  I  was  young  at 
this  time,  and  in  a  subordinate  situation,  and  therefore  was 
unacquainted  with  the  arrangements  made  by  my  employers 
in  transporting  such  an  immense  amount  of  dollars  from  Yera 
Cruz  to  the  United  States.  I  will  therefore  relate  my  conjec- 
tures on  the  subject,  without  being  able  to  vouch  for  the  truth 
of  what  I  am  about  to  narrate,  which  is  as  follows  :  That  the 
house  of  Hope  &  Co.,  of  Amsterdam,  made  a  large  loan  to 
the  government  of  old  Spain  upon  certain  conditions,  one  of 
wliich  was,  that  they  should  receive  the  payment  of  the  loan 
in  Mexican  dollars  in  the  port  of  Yera  Cruz,  at  a  given  rate  ; 
and  in  this  agreement  the  house  of  Hope  &  Co.,  or  their  agents, 
should  have  the  privilege  of  introducing  into  Mexico  a  certain 
amount  of  European  goods  free  from  duty  ;  and  that  licenses 
and  orders  were  given  from  the  King  of  Spain  to  his  Yiceroy 
in  Mexico  to  carry  out  these  measures. 

These  arrangements  being  made  between  the  Spanish 
Government  and  the  house  of  Hope  6c  Co.,  the  next  step  was 
to  get  the  goods  safe  to  Yera  Cruz,  and  there  receive  the  pay 
for  them,  and  also  the  amount  of  the  loan  in  dollars,  and  trans- 
port them  to  the  United  States.  To  accomplish  this  part  of 
the  business,  tlie  house  of  Hope  &  Co.  made  an  agreement 


FIEST  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON.  51 

with  Archibald  Gracie,  Esq.,  of  this  city,  and  also  with  Mr. 
Ohver,  of  Bahimore,  to  performt  his  part  of  the  duty ;  that  is 
to  say,  to  take  the  goods  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  bring  bacic  the  pro- 
ceeds in  dollars,  together  with  the  amount  of  the  government 
loan.  I  think  the  house  of  Parish  &.  Co.,  of  Hamburg,  was 
concerned  with  them  in  this  transaction,  but  in  what  way  I 
am  unable  to  say ;  nor  do  I  pretend  to  know  how  much  per 
centage  or  profit  was  paid  to  Messrs.  Gracie  &  Oliver  for  doing 
the  business,  but  am  inclined  to  think  they  were  liberally  re- 
warded, and  that  they  made  a  great  deal  of  money  by  this 
transaction.  I  likewise  understood  that  these  schooners  were 
limited  to  160,000  dollars  each,  and  that  the  insurance  com^ 
panics  would  not  insure  a  greater  amount  in  any  one  vessel. 

After  the  crew  were  paid  off,  I  got  leave  of  absence  for  a 
few  days  to  visit  my  mother  and  friends  in  Connecticut,  where 
I  found  them  all  well. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  HAMILTON  FROM  NEW-YORK 
TO  VERA  CRUZ,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  WITH  CAPTAIN  JOHN 
WALLER,  IN  THE  YEAR  180S. 

I  REMAINED  at  home  about  a  week,  and  then  returned  to  New- 
York,  and  commenced  loading  the  schooner  on  the  second  voy- 
age for  Vera  Cruz.  Captain  Waller  retained  the  same  second 
mate  and  a  part  of  the  old  crew ;  the  residue  were  strangers. 
After  getting  ready  for  sea,  we  sailed  from  New- York  on  the 
10th  of  December,  ran  rapidly  off  the  coast,  and  in  ten  days 
after  leaving  New- York,  made  Turk's  Island,  got  safe  through 
the  passage,  and  ran  down  between  Cuba  and  Jamaica,  and 
arrived  at  Vera  Cruz  on  the  4th  of  January,  twenty-three  days 
from  New- York,  without  any  occurrence  worth  noticing.  In 
the  winter  we  were  allowed  to  anchor  close  under  the  Castles 
of  St.  Juan  d'Ulloa,  which  circumstance  gave  us  considerable 
shelter  from  the  north  winds,  which  often  blow  violently  at 
this  season  of  the  year.  We  had  landed  about  half  our  cargo, 
when  one  of  these  gales  commenced  blowing  with  great  fury. 
Whenever  these  northers  set  in,  those  that  are  on  board  must 
remain  there ;  all  communication  with  the  town  being  com- 
pletely cut  off.  Yards  and  topmast  were  housed  or  got  down 
on  deck,  boats  all  hoisted  on  board,  cables  secured  and  clinched 
round  the  masts  ;  thus  prepared  we  rode  out  this  norther,  which 
lasted  three  days.  Often,  diu-ing  these  gales,  the  sky  is  per- 
fectly clear;  still  the  wind  is  so  violent,  that  the  surf  and  sands 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON.  53 

are  blown  quite  over  the  high  sea  wall  into  the  town  of  Vera 
Cruz ;  and  even  in  the  city  there  are  such  clouds  of  dust,  that 
it  is  very  difficult  to  go  from  house  to  house.  After  the 
norther  subsided,  we  landed  the  remainder  of  the  cargo,  and 
got  smoothly  through  the  custom-house.  My  private  adven- 
ture cost  me  ,<$600  in  New-York,  and  here  I  sold  it  for  125  per 
cent,  profit,  clear  of  all  charges.  We  took  on  board  a  quantity 
of  stone  ballast,  and  then  the  specie,  viz.,  fifty-five  boxes, 
containing  three  thousand  dollars  in  each,  making  a  total  of 
$165,000.  Besides  the  specie,  we  had  also,  as  cargo,  twenty- 
five  ceroons  of  cochineal,  and  on  the  25th  of  January  sailed  for 
New- York,  returned  through  the  Gulf,  and  had  only  a  tolerable 
passage  until  we  got  to  the  Bahama  Banks  ;  but  from  Cat  Key, 
one  of  the  Bahamas,  we  had  a  remarkably  fine  run  ;  namely, 
six  days  to  New. York,  at  which  city  we  arrived  on  the  15th 
of  February,  after  a  passage  of  eighteen  days.  Thus  ends  my 
second  voyage  to  Vera  Cruz  in  the  schooner  Hamilton. 

On  our  return  to  New- York,  we  found  the  United  States 
government  had  laid  a  general  embargo  on  all  American  ves- 
sels within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  This  law 
was  made  on  the  22d  December,  1807,  consequently  our  vessel 
was  laid  up,  and  we  were  all  discharged  except  the  second 
mate,  who  was  retained  as  ship-keeper.  Captain  Waller  went 
to  New  Orleans  in  search  of  employment.  I  returned  home. 
This  was  a  sad  disappointment  to  me,  as  I  had  become  well 
acquainted  with  these  voyages,  and  was  making  money  very 
fast ;  besides,  the  owner  had  promised  me  the  command  of  a 
vessel  in  the  trade,  the  first  vacancy.  I  had  however,  thank 
God,  laid  up  a  few  thousand  dollars,  and  up  to  this  time  had 
never  eaten  much  idle  bread. 

After  remaining  in  Milford  about  six  weeks,  I  very  unex- 
pectedly received  a  letter  from  the  owner  of  the  Hamilton,  re- 
questing me  to  repair  forthwith  to  New- York,  and  join  the 
same  schooner  again,  under  the  command  of  Captain  .John 
Richards.  I  immediately  obeyed  the  order,  and  on  the  7th  of 
April  went  on  board,  and  commenced  getting  ready  for  the  voy- 


54  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON. 

age,  taking  in  stone  ballast,  stores,  etc.  About  this  time  the 
government  of  the  United  States  granted  permission  to  the 
merchants  who  had  property  and  debts  abroad,  to  send  out 
vessels  in  ballast,  to  collect  and  bring  home  whatever  they 
could  gather  together,  either  in  money  or  other  available  proper- 
ty ;  and  as  ships  and  vessels  were  allowed  to  take  sufficient 
stores  for  the  voyage,  the  merchants,  of  course,  were  in  all 
cases  wise  enough  to  take  a  full  supply,  to  have  nothing  to 
buy  but  something  to  spare,  so  that  in  many  instances  vessels 
were  half  loaded  with  ship  and  cabin  stores.  We  had  a  very 
large  crew,  and  of  course  required  a  large  supply  of  provisions 
of  almost  every  description.  In  consequence  of  the  embargo, 
seamen's  wages  were  extremely  low ;  our  crew  consisted  of 
twenty  picked  men  before  the  mast,  and  their  wages  were  but 
six  dollars  per  month. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THIRD  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  HAMILTON,  WITH  CAPTAIN  JOHN 
RICHARDS,  FROM  NEW-YORK  TO  VERA  CRUZ,  AND  FROM  THENCE 
TO  PHILADELPHIA,   AND   BACK    TO    NEW-YORK,   IN   THE  YEAR 

1808. 

We  got  ready  for  sea,  and  sailed  from  New- York  on  the  lOtli 
of  April,  and  took  the  same  route  as  on  the  two  former  voyages, 
namely,  through  Turk's  Island  passage.  We  met  with  no 
incident  worth  recording,  and  after  a  pleasant  passage  of 
twenty  days,  arrived  at  Vera  Cruz  on  the  1st  of  May.  The 
object  of  this  voyage  was  twofold  ;  in  the  first  place,  to  collect 
and  bring  to  New- York  all  debts  due  to  Mr.  Gracie  from  the 
merchants  in  Mexico,  and  in  the  second,  to  convey  Mr.  Villa- 
nueva  and  his  family  to  the  United  States.  As  we  had  no 
cargo  to  land,  we  had  very  little  to  do  but  to  wait  for  our 
funds,  and  be  ready  to  receive  onboard  our  distinguished  pas- 
senger and  his  family.  My  private  adventure  cost  me  in  New- 
York  $600,  and  here  I  sold  it  for  a  clear  profit  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  per  cent.  This  was  the  most  profitable  voyage  I 
ever  made  up  to  this  date,  I  was  also  paid  very  liberal  wages 
by  the  owners.  The  two  preceding  voyages  I  was  allowed 
$50  per  month,  and  on  this  voj^age,  where  we  carried  no  cargo, 
I  was  paid  $35. 

As  this  will  probably  be  my  last  voyage  to  Very  Cruz,  I 
will  here  give  a  short  description  of  the  place.  It  is  situated 
on  the  S.  W.  side  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  lies  in  latitude 


56  THIRD  VOYAGE   IX  THE   SCHOONER  HAMILTON. 

19°  12'  north,  longitude  96°  9'  west  of  London.  This  town, 
like  most  other  Spanish  places,  is  surrounded  by  a  high  wall 
with  some  six  or  eight  gates,  which  are  all  closed  at  night. 
It  has  ten  or  twelve  churches,  and  several  other  public  build- 
ings. Many  of  the  houses  are  large  and  well  built.  Nearly 
all  the  public  edifices  and  many  of  the  houses  are  plastered 
and  v/hitened  ;  and  when  approaching  the  city  from  the  sea, 
it  has  rather  an  imposing  appearance.  I  should  think  it  con- 
tained from  twelve  to  fifteen  tliousand  inhabitants.  It  is  built 
on  the  margin  of  the  sea,  and  surrounded  by  a  sand  barren. 
The  weather  is  excessively  hot  in  the  summer  season,  and 
this,  with  other  local  causes,  renders  it  very  unhealthy  during 
the  hot  months,  particularly  for  foreigners  ;  in  fine,  the  town 
has  but  few  redeeming  qualities,  and  generally  strangers  only 
visit  it  for  the  sake  of  gain,  or  to  pass  through  it  to  go  to  the 
city  of  Mexico,  and  are  always  glad  to  leave  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. The  harbor  is  formed  by  a  small  sand  island  called  St. 
Juan  d'Ulloa,  which  lies  directly  opposite  the  town,  and  is 
nearly  covered  with  walls  and  fortifications.  This  island  and 
some  six  or  eight  sand  banks  called  the  Sacrificios,  lying  in 
a  S.  E.  direction  from  St.  Juan  d'Ulloa,  form  the  port  of  Vera 
Cruz  ;  some  of  these  banks  are  above  water  and  others  below, 
they,  however,  serve  to  break  the  sea,  and  in  the  summer  time 
it  is  pretty  safe,  and  a  very  tolerable  harbor.  In  the  winter 
season  shipmasters  should  take  care  to  anchor  closee  nder 
the  lee  of  the  castles,  in  four  or  five  fathoms  of  water,  where 
they  may  ride  out  with  comparative  safety  a  severe  norther. 

At  length  after  waiting  about  twenty  days  in  this  port,  our 
gentleman  passenger  came  down  here  from  Mexico  with  his 
family.  Don  .lose  C.  dc  Villanueva,  was  the  agent  of  the 
house  of  Hope  6c  Co.,  of  Amsterdam.  He  had  resided  several 
years  in  this  country,  where  he  had  lately  married  a  Mexican 
lady,  and  had  acquired  a  very  large  fortune  during  his  stay  in 
that  country.  He  was  highly  esteemed  and  beloved  by  all 
classes  of  people,  and  was  a  very  accomplished  gentleman  ;  he 
spoke  fluently  the  French,  Spanish,  German  and  English  lan- 
guages.    We  got  ready  for  sea,  and  took  on  board  a  large  sum 


THIRD  VOYAGE   IN  THE   .SCHOONER  HAMILTON.  57 

in  dollars  (the  amount  I  am  unable  to  state  with  precision), 
and  after  remaining  twenty-four  days  in  this  port,  we  sailed 
for  Philadelphia  on  the  24tli  of  May.  We  had  a  pleasant  pas- 
sage of  eighteen  days,  and  arrived  at  the  quarantine  grounds, 
fourteen  miles  below  the  city,  on  the  12th  of  June.  Here  we 
were  detained  three  days,  and  then  permitted  to  proceed  to 
Philadelphia,  where  we  landed  Mr.  Villanueva  and  his  family, 
and  after  taking  the  specie  on  shore  remained  here  a  few  days, 
and  then  sailed  for  New-Yorlc,  where  we  arrived  on  the  22d 
of  June,  and  were  all  discharged  except  the  second  mate,  Mr. 
Adamson,  who  was  retained  to  take  care  of  the  vessel,  which 
was  laid  up. 

On  the  first  of  July  I  returned  home  to  Milford,  to  visit  my 
mother  and  family ;  and  as  the  embargo  was  still  in  force, 
I  was  without  employment.  After  remaining  idle  for  about 
a  month,  I  took  np  my  residence  in  Stamford,  and  commenced 
studying  the  French  language,  under  the  instruction  of  a 
Frenchman  residing  there,  by  the  name  of  Ferry.  He  had 
about  half-a-dozen  scholars,  and  was  an  efficient  teacher,  and 
a  pleasant,  gentlemanly  man.  I  had  friends  and  relations 
living  at  this  time  in  Stamford,  which  rendered  my  slay  there 
very  agreeable  ;  and  thus,  between  New- York,  Stamford,  and 
Milford,  I  managed  to  pass  my  leisure  time  very  pleasantly. 

I  was  desirous  that  the  embargo  should  be  taken  off,  and 
not  compel  men  bred  to  the  sea  to  abandon  their  occupations ; 
and  was  always  opposed  to  the  Chinese  policy  of  crawling 
along  shore,  and  leaving  the  dominion  of  the  ocean  undis- 
puted to  Great  Britain,  or  any  other  nation.  On  the  contrary, 
I  was  in  favor  of  an  armed  neutrality,  and  if  that  could  not  be 
effected  and  sustained,  deemed  open  and  absolute  war  far 
preferable  to  the  practice  of  always  acting  on  the  defensive. 
As  with  individuals,  so  with  nations  :  if  they  do  not  respect 
themselves,  they  are  always  liable  to  insult. 

After  having  spent  the  winter  in  inactivity,  I  returned  to 
New- York  on  the  first  of  March,  where  I  found  the  beautiful 
little  schooner  Hamilton  sold,  and  the  trade  to  Vera  Cruz 
abandoned. 


CHAPTER  X. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  BRIG  HENRY  AND  ISABELLA,  FROM  NEW-YORK  TO 
ST.  BARTHOLOMEW,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEAR 
1809. 

On  the  first  of  March  of  this  year  the  embargo  was  repealed 
by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  thus  its  citizens 
were  left  at  liberty  to  pursue  whatever  course  they  might 
choose  to  adopt  with  respect  to  foreign  voyages. 

I  had  been  residing  in  Connecticut  about  eight  months,  from 
the  time  I  left  the  pilot-boat  Hamihon,  on  the  first  of  July  of  last 
year ;  and  on  the  earliest  notice  of  the  repeal  of  the  embargo,  I 
hastened  to  New- York,  and  was  there  offered  the  command  of 
a  small  brig,  called  the  Henry  and  Isabella,  of  103  tons  bur- 
den, and  owned  by  Messrs.  Lawrence  &  Whitney,  of  this  city. 
I  forthwith  accepted  the  offer — being  delighted  at  the  idea  of 
getting  to  sea  once  more,  particularly  as  this  was  my  first  es- 
say as  captain.  I  took  with  me  as  mate  my  old  friend  and 
shipmate,  Stephen  Trowbridge.  Our  crew  was  composed  of 
four  seamen,  a  black  cook,  and  cabin-boy.  This  boy  was  a 
bright  lad  of  fifteen,  called  David  Hepburn  ;  he  was  a  native 
of  Milford,  Connecticut ;  and  as  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion 
to  mention  his  name  hereafter,  in  the  narrative  of  my  subse- 
quent voyages,  I  am  tlius  minute  on  this  subject.  We  had 
also  two  cabin  passengers — one  of  these  was  an  English  gen- 
tleman, Robert  Cartmcl,  Esq.,  who  liad  resided  several  years 
fn  the  West  Indies,  and  owned  a  small  portion  of  the  cargo. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  HENRY  AND   ISABELLA.  59 

He  was  a  kind-heaited  and  a  very  intelligent  man  ;  the  other 
was  a  Mr.  Rice,  of  whom  I  knew  but  little.  He  appeared  to 
be  going  abroad  to  seek  liis  fortune  among  the  West  India 
islands,  and  without  much  stability  of  purpose.  After  getting 
the  cargo  on  board,  and  every  thing  ready,  we  left  New- York, 
on  the  3d  of  April,  for  St.  Bartholomew. 

We  had  a  pleasant  passage  of  twenty  days,  and  arrived  safe 
at  our  destined  port  on  the  23d  of  the  same  month.  Here  we 
lay  several  weeks  waiting  a  return  cargo,  during  which  period 
I  received  much  kind  hospitality  from  the  merchants,  and 
passed  the  time  very  pleasantly.  This  island,  which  is  no 
more  than  a  barren  rock,  has  a  tolerable  harbor  at  its  lee  end, 
and  belongs  to  Sweden.  There  is  here  but  very  little  cultiva- 
tion, consequently  the  inhabitants  are  almost  entirely  supported 
by  commerce. 

I  was  consigned  to  Wm.  Cock,  Esq.,  the  principal  mer- 
chant at  this  place  ;  he  in  fact  transacts  the  greater  part  of  the 
business  done  on  the  island.  After  taking  on  board  about  60 
tierces  of  coffee,  some  casks  of  cocoa,  and  a  few  puncheons  of 
rum,  we  got  ready  for  sea.  I  had  also  six  French  gentlemen 
as  cabin-passengers  ;  they  were  captains  and  lieutenants  be- 
longing to  the  French  navy,  and  were  from  Guadaloiipe. 
They  took  passage  with  me  to  New- York,  in  order  to  return 
from  that  city  to  France.  They  were  attended  by  their  own 
servants,  and  were  pleasant,  agreeable  men. 

We  lay  in  this  port  about  five  weeks,  and  then  sailed  for 
New- York,  namely,  on  the  25th  of  May,  and  had  a  very 
pleasant  passage  of  fifteen  days.  We  made  a  fair  saving 
voyage  for  so  small  a  vessel.  As  this  was  my  first  voyage  as 
master,  I  was  happy  that  every  thing  turned  out  so  satisfacto- 
rily to  all  parties  concerned.  1  had  hardly  got  the  little  brig 
discharged,  before  my  former  friend,  Archibald  Gracie,  Esq., 
gave  me  the  command  of  his  ship  Virginia,  then  lying  at 
New- York.  I  resigned  the  command  of  the  Henry  and  Isa- 
bella to  my  eldest  brother,  William  Coggeshall,  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  owners,  and  took  charge  of  the  ship  Virginia. 


60  VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  HENRY  AND  ISABELLA. 

I  had  now  fairly  embarked  on  my  career  as  a  young  ship- 
master, and  adopted  as  my  motto  the  following  stanza  from 
Scotia's  favorite  bard,  with  a  firm  resolve  to  carry  it  out  to  the 
best  of  my  abilities  : 

"  To  catch  dame  fortune's  golden  smile, 

Assiduous  wait  upon  her, 
And  gather  gear  by  ev'ry  wile 

That's  justified  by  honor; 
Not  for  to  hide  it  in  a  hedge, 

Nor  for  a  train-attendant ; 
But  for  the  glorious  privilege 

Of  being  independent." 


CHAPTER  XI. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  VIRGINIA,  FEOM  NEW-YORK  TO  PETERSBURG, 
VA.,  AND  FROM  THENCE  TO  EUROPE,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW -YORK,  IN 
THE  YEAR  1809. 


On  the  1st  of  July,  1809,  I  took  charge  of  the  Virginia.  This 
ship  was  about  385  tons  burden,  coppered  and  copper  fastened, 
and  was  considered  a  very  good  ship  for  those  days.  She  had 
just  returned  from  Holland  under  the  command  of  Archibald 
Crockett,  a  worthy  old  Scotch  gentleman,  who  had  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  at  sea,  and  now  of  his  own  free  will 
gave  up  the  command  of  the  Virginia,  resolved  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  days  on  shore.  This  ship  returned  from  Am- 
sterdam in  ballast,  so  that  it  required  but  a  few  days  to  fit  her 
for  the  voyage.  I  therefore  shipped  two  mates  and  a  crew, 
and  forthwith  got  ready  for  sea.  I  took  Mr.  Trowbridge,  who 
was  with  me  in  the  Henry  and  Isabella,  as  chief  mate,  and  a  Mr. 
Thomas  Hardy,  second  mate,  with  a  crew  of  ten  men,  who 
shipped  by  the  run  for  City  Point.  Thus  manned  and  equip- 
ped, we  sailed  from  Sandy  Hook  on  the  6th  of  July.  The 
first  day  out  we  had  light  winds  from  the  southward  ;  the  next 
day  the  wind  shifted  to  the  N.  E.  and  E.  N.  E.,  and  continued 
to  blow  from  that  quarter  for  six  days,  which  enabled  us  to  get 
safe  to  City  Point  on  the.l4thinst.,  eight  days  from  New- York. 
The  owner  of  the  Virginia,  Archibald  Gracie,  Esq.,  ordered 
me  to  proceed  to  City  Point  with  the  ship,  and  apply  to  Messrs. 
Gracie,  Anderson  ct  Co.,  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  for  a  cargo  of  to- 


62  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  VIRGINIA. 

bacco,  with  staves  sufficient  for  dunnage.  This  tobacco  was 
purchased  during  the  long  embargo,  at  a  very  low  price  ;  I 
believe  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  per  hundred  pounds. 
I  lost  no  time  in  discharging  the  sand  ballast,  and  taking  in 
the  cargo.  I  received  on  board  540  hogsheads  for  the  owner, 
and  ten  for  my  own  account.  This  ship  had  a  large  cabin, 
and  as  we  had  no  passengers,  I  put  my  ten  hogsheads  into  it. 
It  was  of  a  superior  quality,  and  cost  me,  when  on  board, 
$615. 

The  owner  of  the  Yirginia,  Archibald  Gracie,  Esq.,  was 
one  of  the  most  liberal  and  benevolent  men  I  ever  knew,  I 
always  left  him  to  make  his  own  terms  with  respect  to  my 
wages  and  other  perquisites,  for  nothing  gave  him  more  plea- 
sure than  to  see  his  captains,  officers,  and,  in  fine,  all  those  in 
his  employment,  make  money  for  themselves,  as  well  as  for 
him.  As  a  proof  of  what  I  have  here  stated,  he  authorized 
me,  at  his  own  suggestion,  to  take  ten  hogsheads  of  tobacco  for 
my  private  adventure.  I  was  at  this  time  but  twenty-four 
years  old,  and  had  no  expectations  of  such  liberal  allowance 
for  my  services. 

During  my  stay  here,  I  got  acquainted  with  several  fami- 
lies some  miles  below  City  Point,  generally  planters,  residing 
on  the  banks  of  the  James  River ;  and  I  am  happy  \o  say  I 
found  them  well  bred,  kind,  and  generous,  and  without  excep- 
tion the  most  hospitable  people  I  ever  met  with ;  and  when  I 
sailed  from  City  Point,  I  left  these  excellent  people  with  much 
regret,  and  even  down  to  the  present  day,  I  often  retrace  the 
pleasant  associations  connected  with  the  agreeable  days  spent 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  a  few  miles  below  City  Point. 

On  the  3dof  August  the  ship  was  loaded,  when  I  hired  eight 
negroes,  and  proceeded  with  her  down  to  Hampton  Roads,  which 
occupied  four  days,  and  then  went  in  a  pilot-boat  to  Norfolk, 
where  I  shipped  ten  men  at  $28  per  month.  When  the  embar- 
go was  taken  off,  there  were  so  many  vessels  fitting  out  that 
seamen's  wages  became  very  high.  After  getting  the  men  and 
all  necessary  sea-stores  on  board,  we  sailed  from  Norfolk,  and 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  yiRGINIA.  63 

left  the  Capes  of  Virginia  on  the  11th  of  August,  for  Falmouth, 
England.  We  had  a  pleasant  passage,  without  any  remark- 
able occurrence,  until  we  reached  Lat.  47°  22'  N.,  Long,  49° 
W.,  on  the  31st  of  September,  where  we  experienced  a  severe 
gale  from  the  N.  N.  W.,  which  lasted  only  about  six  hours,  but 
during  that  time  the  sea  washed  away  my  stern-boat,  stove 
the  long-boat,  swept  away  the  waist  boards,  and  split  in  pieces 
the  maintopsail,  with  some  other  damage  of  less  importance. 
After  this,  we  had  pleasant  weather  until  we  arrived  off  Fal- 
mouth, on  the  11th  of  September,  just  one  montli  after  leaving 
Norfolk.  On  my  arrival  I  hired  a  shore  boat  for  two  guineas 
and  a  half,  to  take  a  letter  on  shore  to  Messrs.  George  Fox  6c 
Sons,  and  to  bring  back  another  from  them.  We  stood  off  and 
on  for  about  three  or  four  hours,  when  the  boat  returned  with 
a  letter  from  Messrs.  Fox  &-  Sons,  and  also  one  from  Messrs. 
Baring,  Brothers  6o  Co.,  of  London,  advising  me  to  proceed  up 
channel,  and  make  the  best  of  my  way  to  Tonningen,  calling 
at  Heligoland  for  further  information.  After  paying  the  boat- 
man for  taking  my  letter  on  shore  and  bringing  off  another,  I 
observed  to  him  that  it  was  better  for  him  to  take  two  guineas 
and  a  half  (he  having  first  demanded  five  for  this  ser- 
vice), than  to  have  refnsed  it ;  for  had  he  not  complied 
with  my  offer,  I  certainly  should  have  sent  my  own  boat  on 
shore,  in  which  case  he  would  have  earned  nothing.  He  re- 
plied, in  his  provincial  jargon,  "  Why,  yees,  maister,  it  is  bet- 
ter for  ou,  and  better  for  we."  The  wind  being  fair,  we  pro- 
ceeded up  channel,  keeping  close  in  with  the  English  coast, 
to  avoid  being  detained  by  any  men-of-war  I  might  meet  on 
my  way.  As  the  Virginia  was  an  English  built  ship,  she 
caused  no  suspicion.  I  passed  very  near  several  ships  of  war, 
who  appeared  not  to  notice  us,  taking  her,  as  I  suppose,  for 
one  of  their  own  nation.  I  ran  up  channel  as  far  as  T3over, 
without  having  been  spoken.  Oft'  this  place,  however,  I  was 
hailed  by  a  man-of-war  brig,  and  ordered  to  heave  to,  and  that 
he  would  send  his  boat  on  board.  I  accordingly  hove  to, 
when,  instead  of  sending  a  lieutenant  and  a  midshipman  on 
board  as  is  customary,  the  captain  came  himself,  with  a  mid- 


64  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  VIRGINIA. 

shipman.  He  examined  my  papers  strictly,  and  said  he  was 
very  much  surprised  that  I  had  not  been  boarded  by  any  Brit- 
ish ship  of  war  since  I  entered  the  channel.  He  did  not  inti- 
mate to  me  that  he  was  captain  of  the  brig,  but  from  the  great 
deference  and  respect  paid  him  by  the  midshipman,  I  conclud- 
ed he  must  be.  I  therefore  ordered  my  second  mate  to  ascer- 
tain from  the  coxswain  of  the  boat  whether  the  boarding  offi- 
cer was  the  captain,  or  one  of  the  lieutenants.  Both  he 
and  the  boat's  crew  confirmed  my  suspicions,  and  said  the 
gentleman  in  question  was  the  captain  of  the  brig.  He  hesi- 
tated some  time,  whether  he  should  send  me  into  some  port  in 
England,  or  let  me  go.  At  length,  after  a  vexatious  and  scru- 
tinizing examination,  I  was  allowed  to  proceed  on  my  voyage 
towards  Heligoland. 

At  this  period,  there  was  no  respect  paid  to  the  rights  of 
neutral  ships,  either  by  England  or  France.  On  the  contrary, 
it  was  almost  a  daily  occurrence,  that  upon  the  slightest  sus- 
picion, or  even  at  the  mere  caprice  of  English  naval  command- 
ers, that  American  ships  were  sent  into  British  ports,  for  adju- 
dication. Sometimes,  they  were  condemned  upon  the  most 
frivolous  pretences,  and  if  they  were  eventually  cleared,  their 
owners  were  subject  to  exorbitant  charges  and  vexatious  de- 
lays, and  thus  it  often  happened,  that  through  this  unjust  and 
arbitrary  interference  with  the  rights  of  peaceful  commerce  by 
the  two  aforesaid  belligerent  nations,  that  many  voyages  were 
broken  up  and  entirely  ruined.  The  poor  neutral  ships  were 
driven  from  pillar  to  post,  and  were  treated  with  every  kind  of 
indignity,  and  could  find  no  safety  in  any  part  of  Europe,  except 
in  Russia.  His  Majesty,  so  called,  was  the  great  sea-robber, 
while  the  selfish  and  unjust  Bonaparte,  was  the  great  land-rob- 
ber ;  so  that  between  them  both,  the  whole  world  was  laid  under 
contribution  to  support  and  carry  on  their  devastating  wars. 
The  world  has  been  too  long  deceived  by  great  names,  and 
dazzled  by  what  military  men  call  glory.  It  is  time  to  call 
things  by  their  right  names ;  for  a  king  that  takes  any  thing 
unjustly,  is  as  much  a  robber  as  the  captain  of  a  'band  of  bri- 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  VIRGINIA.  65 

gands ;  all  the  difference  between  them  is,  that  the  one  robs 
on  a  great,  and  the  other  on  a  small  scale. 

It  is  the  legitimate  duty  of  seamen  to  brave  the  tempest 
and  the  storm,  and  to  look  out  for  rocks  and  shoals  by  night 
and  by  day.  These  perils  we  can  endure,  but  the  injustice, 
oppression,  and  cupidity  of  our  fellow-men,  are  trials  which 
are  hard  to  bear. 

After  the  detention  by  the  English  brig-of-war,  we  met 
with  no  further  interruption,  nor  any  thing  worth  recording, 
until  we  arrived  at  Heligoland,  on  the  17th  of  September, 
seven  days  from  Falmouth.  Here  I  was  detained  two  days  in 
consequence  of  bad  weather.  This  is  a  very  singular  little 
island ;  it  belongs  to  England,  and  is  about  25  miles  off  the 
mouths  of  the  Rivers  Elbe  and  Eyder.  It  is,  I  think,  about 
two  miles  long,  and  one  and  a  half  wide  ;  has  no  good  harbor, 
but  a  roadstead,  where  there  is  tolerable  anchorage  during  the 
summer  season.  Its  shores  are  very  abrupt  and  somewhat 
high.  I  should  judge  it  was  from  150  to  180  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  ocean,  and  its  face  may  be  termed  table-land  from 
its  smooth  surface.  It  contains  about  2000  inhabitants :  the 
richer  classes  inhabit  the  table-land,  where  they  have  a  church, 
and  rather  a  pretty  town  ;  while  the  lower  classes  dwell  in  a 
dirty  village  on  the  shore  below  the  hill ;  they  are  mostly 
pilots  and  fishermen,  with  their  families.  All  the  porters  are 
females  ;  they  wear  men's  hats,  and  are  a  coarse,  vulgar-look- 
ing race.  There  is  no  other  way  of  getting  from  the  lower  to 
the  upper  town,  but  by  winding  wooden  stairs,  to  ascend 
which  is  very  inconvenient  and  fatiguing,  I  landed  on  the 
19th  of  September  at  Heligoland,  and  had  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion from  Messrs.  Baring,  Brothers  &  Co.,  of  London,  to  Mr. 
A.  E Herman,  merchant,  at  this  place,  desiring  him  to  assist 
me  in  getting  a  pilot  to  take  the  ship  into  the  river  Eyder. 
The  pilots  here  are  a  vile  set  of  extortioners,  and  would  scarce- 
ly save  a  drowning  man  without  pay  ;  in  a  word,  they  are 
a  notorious  set  of  unprincipled  rascals.  These  fellows  all 
charged  me  five  hundred  Spanish  dollars  to  take  my  ship  into 

5 


66  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  VIRGINIA. 

the  river,  a  distance  of  say  25  to  30  miles,  but  after  a  great 
deal  of  chaffering  one  of  them  was  persuaded,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Mr.  E.,  to  take  the  ship  into  the  river  for  $400. 
Many  shipmasters  were  obhged  to  pay  for  this  service  as  high 
as  $600,  and  in  some  instances  even  as  high  as  one  thousand. 
At  this  time  there  were  several  ships  standing  off  and  on  the 
island,  waiting  to  get  pilots.  Some  would  not  pay  the  price 
asked,  and  knew  not  what  to  do.  After  I  got  one  on  board,  as 
the  wind  was  blowing  strong  from  the  westward,  I  filled  away 
for  the  river's  mouth.  There  was  at  this  time  the  ship  Brutus 
of  New- York,  Capt,  Macy,  standing  off  and  on,  but  had  fallen 
to  leeward  two  or  three  miles,  and  was  beating  up  to  get  a 
pilot  from  the  island.  I  spoke  him  and  inquired  whether  he 
had  one  ;  found  he  had  none.  He  asked  me  if  I  would  allow 
him  to  follow  my  ship  into  the  river,  and  that  he  would  wil- 
lingly pay  half  the  pilotage.  This  was  instantly  agreed  upon, 
when  we  filled  away  and  stood  directly  for  the  river's  mouth. 
We  had  not  proceeded  far  before  the  pilot  began  to  grumble, 
and  swear  that  he  would  not  conduct  two  ships.  I  replied 
that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  other,  but  to  attend  to 
mine,  and  that  if  she  should  touch  the  bottom,  that  moment 
he  was  a  dead  man.  1  then  showed  him  a  loaded  pistol,  and 
convinced  him  that  I  was  ready  to  carry  out  the  threat ;  this 
seemed  to  cool  down  the  fellow's  courage,  and  induced  him  to 
plead  for  my  intercession  with  the  captain  of  the  Brutus  to 
give  him  a  handsome  present.  The  wind  continued  fair,  and 
the  weather  clear  enough  to  see  our  way  into  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  which  is  very  narrow,  with  dismal  sand-banks  on  both 
sides.  In  about  four  hours  after  the  pilot  came  on  board  we 
were  safely  anchored  inside,  on  the  ISth  of  September,  37  days 
from  Norfolk.  It  soon  became  very  tiiick  and  dark,  and  dur- 
ing the  whole  night  it  blew  a  severe  gale  from  the  westward 
directly  on  shore;  and  while  the  wind  and  sea  were  roaring 
terribly  outside,  we  lay  safe  and  snug  within  the  mouth  of  the 
narrow  river,  where  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  a  mill  pond, 
protected  and  sheltered  by  sand-banks  on  every  side.     None 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  VIRGINIA.  67 

but  a  seaman  can  fully  realize  the  joy  and  delight  it  gives  one 
to  run  from  a  stormy  lee  shore  into  a  safe  port.  The  feeling 
of  conscious  security,  contrasted  with  the  exposure  to  the  tem- 
pest and  the  howling  of  the  storm,  is  absolutely  indescribable. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  ship  was  taken  up  to  Vol- 
lerick,  and  moored  in  the  river.  This  place  is  about  five 
miles  below  Tonningen,  By  my  orders  from  Messrs.  Baring, 
Brothers  &;  Co.,  I  eijiployed  Peter  Todson,  Esq.,  of  this  place, 
as  our  commercial  agent.  I  found  here  a  great  number  of 
American  ships — I  think  from  40  to  50  sail.  Tonningen  is  a 
small,  insignificant  place,  about  70  miles  from  Hamburg,  and 
only  brought  into  notice  from  the  fact  of  the  many  restrictions 
on  commerce  by  England  and  France.  Both  these  nations, 
at  this  time,  acted  upon  the  principle  of  forcing  all  other  states 
to  take  part  in  their  quarrels,  and  not  allow  any  of  them  to  re- 
main neutral.  These  vexatious  restraints  drove  peaceful 
trade  out  of  its  natural  and  regular  channels,  to  small  fishing- 
towns  on  the  borders  of  large  kingdoms  and  states. 

Agreeably  to  the  orders  of  my  owner,  Archibald  Gracie, 
Esq.,  I  wrote  to  Messrs.  Hope  &.  Co.,  at  Amsterdam,  and  also 
to  Messrs.  Parish  &  Co.,  at  Hamburg,  advising  them  of  my 
arrival,  and  that  I  was  waiting  their  orders  what  to  do  with 
the  cargo.  In  answer  to  my  letters,  the  latter  gentleman 
wrote  me  to  discharge  the  tobacco,  and  that  Mr.  Todson 
would  forward  it  to  Hamburg.  I  forthwith  commenced  un- 
loading, and  after  this  was  accomplished,  I  left  the  ship  in 
charge  of  the  chief  mate,  and  took  a  public  conveyance,  with 
six  other  passengers,  for  Hamburg.  We  travelled  through 
Danish  Holstein  in  wagons  without  springs,  taking  post-horses 
the  whole  route.  We  frequently  found  the  roads  very  rough, 
and  were  consequently  jolted  to  our  heart's  content.  The 
postillions  are  a  dull,  sluggish  race  of  biped  animals,  and  jog 
along  at  the  slow  rate  of  about  four  English  miles  the  hour. 
They  are  all  inveterate  smokers,  and  are  never  seen  without 
pipes  in  their  mouths.  The  face  of  the  country  is  of  a  mode- 
rate height,  rather  undulating,  and  generally  pretty  well  culti- 


68  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SHIP  VIRGINIA. 

vated.  We  passed  through  several  towns  and  villages  of  some 
note,  the  names  of  which  I  do  not  recollect.  The  public 
houses  and  taverns  in  the  towns  along  the  road  were  tolerably 
well  kept,  and  their  prices  reasonable.  The  inhabitants  of 
Holstein  are  a  hardy,  good-looking  race  of  men,  with  light 
hair  and  blue  eyes,  and,  I  should  think,  generally  a  virtuous, 
industrious  people.  The  greater  portion  of  them  are  agricul- 
turists, and  they  also  raise  large  numbers.of  cattle  and  horses, 
which  are  sold  in  the  adjacent  states.  We  left  Tonningen  at 
noon,  travelled  all  night,  and  got  to  Hamburg  the  next 
morning. 

I  was  politely  received  by  Messrs.  Parish  &  Co.,  and  soon 
felt  at  home  in  this  agreeable  city.  These  gentlemen  con- 
firmed in  person  what  they  had  before  written  me,  namely, 
that  Mr.  Grade's  orders  to  them  were,  that  the  tobacco  should 
be  left  in  their  hands,  to  be  sold  in  Hamburg,  and  the  avails 
remitted  to  London  for  his  account ;  that  the  ship  should  be 
ballasted  with  sand,  and  return  without  delay  to  New- York. 

Hamburg  is  so  well  known,  that  it  would  be  quite  superflu- 
ous in  me  to  say  much  on  the  subject.  I  will  therefore  only 
remark,  that  it  lies  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  Elbe,  about 
sixty  miles  above  its  mouth.  It  is  a  great  commercial  city, 
and  contains  about  130,000  inhabitants.  At  this  period  it  was 
garrisoned  by  French  troops,  and  had  French  doiidniers  at  the 
gates. 

I  found  Hamburg  a  gay,  pleasant  city — the  living  good 
and  cheap,  and  altogether  it  was  one  of  the  most  desirable  resi- 
dences for  a  young  man  that  I  am  acquainted  with.  After 
spending  about  ten  days  in  this  delightful  city,  I  returned  to 
Tonningen  by  the  same  route  I  came.  Before  sailing  from  this 
place  for  home,  I  also  left  in  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Parish  & 
Co.  my  ten  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  with  a  request  to  have  them 
disposed  of  without  delay,  and  remit  the  proceeds  to  Samuel 
Williams,  Esq.,  of  London,  subject  to  my  order. 

T  know  not  how  much  money  Mr.  Gracie  made  by  the  five 
hundred  and  forty  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  but,  judging  from 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  VIRGINIA.  69 

what  I  cleared  on  my  ten  hogsheads,  we  must  have  made  a 
very  great  voyage.  I  am  aware  that  the  charges  and  ex- 
penses were  very  considerable  ;  still,  considering  the  low  price 
of  the  article  when  purchased  in  Petersburg,  and  the  high  price 
it  sold  for  in  Hamburg,  I  am  confident  it  must  have  left  a  very 
large  profit.  I  believe  this  quality  of  tobacco  was  worth  at 
this  time,  in  Hamburg,  from  $16  to  $20  per  hundred  pounds. 
Besides  the  large  profit  on  the  sale  of  the  tobacco,  there  was 
also  a  great  gain  on  the  exchange  between  England  and  the 
United  States. 

As  our  cargo  was  in  great  demand,  it  was  soon  sold,  and 
the  proceeds  remitted  to  London.  At  Tonningen,  ships  are 
ballasted  with  great  facility,  and  at  a  moderate  expense. 
Thus,  at  high  water,  they  anchor  large  lighters  on  a  clean 
sand-bank,  and  at  low  tide  load  them  with  shovels ;  and  when 
they  float,  the  lighters  are  taken  alongside  of  the  ship,  and 
soon  discharged. 

As  a  proof  of  my  remarks  on  the  rapacious  character  of 
the  Heligoland  pilots,  I  will  relate  an  incident  which  occurred 
during  my  stay  here.  Several  of  tliese  pilots  having  rescued 
an  American  sailor  from  drowning,  called  the  same  day  on 
the  American  captains  in  this  port  to  pay  them  for  this  service. 
To  prevent  any  evil  consequences  that  might  arise,  we  made 
up  a  sum  of  ten  dollars,  and  presented  them  to  these  uncon- 
scionable extortioners. 

After  lying  in  this  port  forty-seven  days,  we  sailed,  on  the 
4th  of  November,  for  New- York,  in  company  with  ten  or  fif- 
teen sail  of  ships  and  vessels  bound  mostly  to  England  and 
the  United  States.  We  took  our  departure  from  Heligoland, 
and  were  favored  with  a  fine  fresh  gale  at  E.  and  E.  N.  E., 
and  clear,  pleasant  weather  for  four  days.  I  steered  directly 
for  Fair  Island  passage,  and  three  days  after  leaving  Heligo- 
land, made  and  passed  this  island,  one  of  the  Orkneys.  The 
next  day  the  wind  shifted  to  the  S.  W.,  and  continued  to  blow 
from  that  quarter  for  several  days  ;  and  as  I  could  not  weather 
Ireland  by  tacking,  I  concluded  to  stand  on  to  the  N.  W.,  and 


70  VOYAGE   m  THE   SHIP  VIRGINIA. 

wait  for  a  change  of  wind  to  the  W.  N.  W.  Although  it  was 
now  about  the  middle  of  November,  and  the  days  were  very 
short,  still  I  continued  on  the  same  tack  until  I  got  within  two 
days'  sail  of  Iceland,  when,  to  my  great  joy,  the  wind  shifted 
to  the  N.  W.,  and  then  I  made  a  glorious  run,  and  got  sound- 
ings on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  in  seven  days.  After  this 
fortunate  run,  I  met  with  variable  winds  and  weather — some- 
times fair  and  sometimes  foul — until  I  arrived  at  New- York, 
on  the  16th  of  December,  forty-two  days  from  Tonningen. 
Some  of  the  ships  that  left  in  company  with  us,  bound  to  the 
United  States,  passed  through  the  English  channel,  and  some 
few  went  through  Fair  Island  passage. 

The  winter  was  uncommonly  severe,  with  almost  constant 
gales  from  the  westward.  On  my  arrival  at  New- York,  not 
one  of  the  vessels  had  arrived ;  some  of  those  that  passed 
through  the  English  channel  were  compelled  to  put  into  Eng- 
land to  refit  and  repair  damages.  I  claim  no  merit  in  making 
a  shorter  passage  than  the  ships  that  sailed  when  I  did,  as  it 
certainly  grew  out  of  the  circumstances  of  the  case  ;  the  same 
course  taken  on  another  passage  from  the  same  place,  might 
perhaps  prove  a  complete  failure.  After  discharging  and  pay- 
ing oft'  the  officers  and  seamen,  I  again  returned  to  my  native 
home ;  and  am  happy  to  add,  that  I  made  a  good  voyage 
both  for  myself  and  owners,  and  believe  that  all  parties  inter- 
ested were  satisfied. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  PILOT-BOAT  SCHOONER  ELIZA  FROM  NEW- 
YORK  TO  TONNINGEN,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEAR 
1810. 

I  REMAINED  a  fsw  weeks  with  my  mother  and  friends  in  Con- 
necticut, and  then  returned  to  New- York,  and  there  found 
the  ship  Virginia  had  been  sold,  and  was  loading  with  a  cargo 
of  flax-seed  for  Ireland.  My  late  employer,  Mr.  Gracie,  had  no 
other  ship  at  the  moment  that  required  a  captain,  or  in  other 
words,  there  was  no  vacancy  for  me  to  fill  at  this  time,  and 
being  very  desirous  of  employment,  I  was  ready  to  embrace 
the  first  fair  offer.  Messrs.  Isaac  Moses  &.  Sons,  a  very  re- 
spectable commercial  house  in  this  city,  had  lately  purchased  a 
new  pilot- boat  schooner  called  the  Eliza.  This  vessel  was 
built  in  Connecticut,  and  measmed  152  tons.  I  took  the  com- 
mand of  her  on  the  12th  of  February,  and  commenced  loading 
for  Tonningen.  Our  cargo  consisted  of  142  large  chests  of  in- 
digo, 100  bales  of  cotton,  several  tons  of  logwood,  and  sundry 
other  valuable  articles  of  less  bulk.  We  finished  loading  the 
schooner  on  the  5th  of  March,  and  soon  got  ready  for  sea.  I 
took  with  me  my  former  mate,  Mr.  Stephen  Trowbridge,  six 
men,  and  a  cook.  One  of  the  crew  was  my  brother,  James 
Coggeshall,  a  lad  of  15  years.  We  sailed  from  New- York  on 
the  10th  of  March,  and  were  favored  with  fresh  and  fair  gales 
from  the  westward  for  several  days,  and  had  a  fine  run  off  the 
coast,  and  were  once  more  on  the  bosom  of  the  broad  Atlantic. 
All  around  us  was  one  vast  expanse  of  deep  blue  waters,  and 


72  FIKST  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

all  above  us  beautiful  azure  sky,  with  occasional  changes  of 
light  and  shade  as  the  sun  shone  out  or  was  obscured  by  pass- 
ing clouds.  It  is  true  there  is  much  monotony  at  sea,  and  the 
same  daily  routine  of  duty  to  be  performed ;  still,  to  the  con- 
templative mind  there  is  much  to  admire  and  many  grand  ob- 
jects to  view,  both  by  night  and  by  day,  to  exalt  and  elevate 
the  mind  to  higher  scenes  than  those  connected  with  our  little 
earth,  which,  in  comparison  with  the  revolving  worlds  around 
us,  is  but  a  point  or  a  speck  in  the  universe.  Thus  far  on  our 
passage  nothing  occurred  worthy  of  notice,  until  the  20th  of 
March,  on  the  tenth  day  from  New-York,  when  on  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  grand  bank  of  Newfoundland,  in  lat.  46°  north, 
and  in  Ion.  from  50°  to  47°  west,  at  10  o'clock  at  night  we  fell 
in  with  immense  quantities  of  field  ice,  and  before  we  were 
aware  of  our  situation,  we  were  completely  surrounded  and 
blocked  in  on  every  side.  The  wind  was  light  from  the  W. 
N.W.,  and  the  sea  smooth.  I  shortened  sail  and  hauled  up  to 
the  S.  E.,  and  during  the  night  made  but  little  distance  ;  at 
daylight,  March  the  21st,  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
one  vast  field  of  ice  as  far  as  the  eye  could  extend.  I  con- 
tinued on  the  same  course  during  the  day,  working  through  it 
the  best  way  we  could,  sometimes  going  at  the  rate  of  two  or 
three  miles  the  hour,  at  other  times  we  could  make  no  head- 
way at  all  for  an  hour  or  two,  fearing  constantly  that  our  little 
vessel  would  be  crushed,  by  forcing  her  through  the  dense 
masses  of  ice.  Just  before  night  we  providentially  got  into  an 
open  space  free  from  it.  This  space  of  open  sea  was  perhaps 
three  miles  in  circumference  ;  here  1  resolved  to  remain  all  night, 
deeming  it  more  safe  and  prudent  than  to  pursue  our  course 
in  doubt  and  darkness,  and  here  in  this  little  harbor  we  rested 
for  the  night,  tacking  about  under  easy  sail.  The  next  morn- 
ing at  day  Ugh  t,  March  the  22d,  I  could  see  from  aloft  nothing 
but  fields  of  ice,  as  on  the  preceding  day ;  we  therefore  con- 
cluded to  pursue  our  S.  E.  course,  and  work  through  it  by  gen- 
tly forcing  the  schooner  along  with  the  sails,  while  the  crew 
pried  the  ice  from  the  bows  of  the  vessel  with  oars  and  boat- 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  73 

hooks.  The  weather  was  very  cold,  and  it  was  a  dreary  sight 
to  behold  these  frozen  fields,  and  no  open  sea.  While  strug- 
gling through  these  compact  masses,  we  saw  a  great  number 
of  seals  sporting  and  crawling  about  the  ice  cakes,  apparently 
happy  and  contented,  at  home,  in  their  own  native  element. 
About  noon  this  day  the  ice  became  less  dense,  and  we  found 
more  open  sea ;  at  4  P.  M.  we  were  quite  free  from  field  ice, 
and  made  more  sail,  and  were  enabled  to  steer  more  to  the 
eastward  :  we  ran  all  night  to  the  E.  S.  E.  under  easy  sail, 
and  the  next  morning  at  daylight,  March  the  23d,  saw  no 
more  ice,  but  what  was  much  more  grand  and  sublime,  namely, 
immense  numbers  of  large  icebergs  ;  some  of  them  I  should 
judge  were  200  or  300  feet  long,  and  from  70  to  SO  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  water.  We  sailed  through  these  islands 
all  the  forenoon,  and  at  3  P.  M.,  March  the  24th,  to  our  great 
joy  entirely  lost  sight  of  them,  feeling  ourselves  fortunate  in  es- 
caping from  our  late  perilous  situation. 

On  a  fine  day,  when  the  sun  shines  out  bright  and  clear, 
icebergs  are  grand  and  imposing  objects  ;  when  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance they  appear  like  a  large  fleet  of  ships  under  full  sail,  and 
when  drawing  nearer  to  them,  they  are  still  more  beautiful. 
They  are  formed  in  every  variety  of  shape,  and  with  a  little 
help  of  the  imagination,  appear  like  crystal  palaces  and  float- 
ing castles,  constructed  in  every  style  of  architectural  elegance. 
Others  again  have  very  grotesque  forms,  and  appear  like  huge 
animals  supporting  each  other  on  their  backs,  and  thus  form 
a  very  interesting  spectacle. 

The  Eliza  was  a  good,  strong  little  vessel,  or  she  would 
inevitably  have  been  lost ;  the  ice  raked  the  oakum  out  of  the 
seams,  and  made  her  leak  a  little  ;  it  also  tore  the  cutwater 
from  the  stem,  with  some  other  trifling  damage,  but  nothing  to 
render  her  unsafe  to  perform  her  destined  voyage. 

Five  years  previous  to  this  period,  not  far  from  where  we 
fell  in  with  the  field  ice,  Capt.  Richard  Law  of  New  London 
lost  the  ship  Jupiter  of  New- York ;  and  I  herewith  insert  an 
account  of  this  melancholy  catastrophe,  which  I  have  extract- 


74  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

ed  from  a  newspaper  of  that  day.  Capt.  Law  was  an  old 
friend  of  mine,  and  was  a  most  worthy,  excellent  man.  The 
Jupiter  was  from  London,  bound  to  New- York ;  nothing  oc- 
curred worthy  of  notice  until  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  April, 
1805,  when  in  lat.  43°  north,  Ion.  49°  west,  they  fell  in  with 
numerous  icebergs  ;  they  were  compelled  to  make  their  way 
among  them  the  best  way  they  could,  tacking  for  one  and 
keeping  away  for  another,  until  they  were  obliged  to  shorten 
sail,  and  steer  wherever  they  could  find  an  open  passage 
through  the  broken  ice.  During  the  whole  day  Captain  Law 
never  left  the  deck,  and  by  great  vigilance  managed  through  the 
day  to  preserve  the  ship  from  injury.  At  nightfall  their  situ- 
ation was  truly  appalUng  ;  large  masses  of  ice  were  float- 
ing, and  dashing  against  their  ill-fated  vessel,  until  a  blow  from 
a  block  of  ice  penetrated  the  starboard  bow,  and  fixed  the 
doomed  ship.  Both  pumps  were  rigged,  but  the  water  rushed  in 
so  fast  that  it  was  soon  found  the  ship  was  sinking,  and  their 
only  resource  was  to  take  to  their  boats  with  as  little  noise  as 
possible,  so  as  not  to  alarm  the  passengers  below.  Accordingly 
38  men,  women,  and  children,  embarked  in  the  long  boat ; 
it  was  then  given  in  charge  to  the  second  mate ;  the  captain, 
chief  mate,  one  seaman,  and  five  cabin  and  steerage  passen- 
gers got  into  the  jolly-boat  and  pushed  off"  to  avoid  being  car- 
ried down  with  the  ship  ;  one  young  man  who  had  a  mother 
and  sister  in  the  cabin,  nobly  refused  to  go  into  the  boat,  pre- 
ferring to  die  with  his  friends  rather  than  survive  them. 

Twenty-seven  passengers  were  asleep  below,  and  as  the 
boats  were  already  full,  they  wisely  judged  it  best  to  let  them 
remain  ignorant  of  their  fate.  In  their  haste  to  leave  the  ship, 
they  had  only  time  to  take  a  bottle  of  water  and  a  few  trifling 
eatables.  In  half  an  hour  after  the  boats  left,  the  waters 
closed  over  the  unfortunate  ship  and  every  soul  on  board. 

The  long-boat  took  tlie  yawl  in  tow,  during  all  that  night 
and  a  part  of  the  next  day,  during  which  time  they  were 
struggling  through  the  ice,  and  suffering  intensely  from  hun- 
ger and  cold,  and  after  getting  into  clear  water,  the  jolly-boat 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA.  75 

was  cut  loose,  when  they  separated,  and  saw  no  more  of  each 
other.  On  tlie  9th,  three  days  after  leaving  the  ship.  Captain 
Law  and  his  fellow- sufferers  were  picked  up  by  the  fishing 
schooner  .Toainia,  Capt.  Henry  Q^uiner,  and  carried  to  Marble- 
head.  It  was  long  before  any  intelligence  was  received  from 
those  in  the  long-boat ;  they  were,  however,  taken  up  on  the 
9th  of  April  (the  same  day  on  which  Ca])tain  Law  and  his 
party  were  rescued  by  the  schooner  Joanna)  by  an  outward 
bound  ship,  and  carried  to  London. 

From  this  period  to  our  making  the  island  of  Rona,  off  the 
N.  W.  coast  of  Scotland,  on  the  10th  of  April,  we  had  nothing 
but  severe  gales  and  stormy  weather ;  in  fact,  it  Avas  the  most 
boisterous  passage  I  had  ever  experienced  up  to  this  time.  The 
next  day  after  making  Rona,  I  saw  the  north  coast  of  Scotland 
about  Cape  Wrath ;  here  I  spoke  the  ship  Pilgrim,  Captain 
Littlefield,  last  frmn  St.  Sebastian,  bound  to  Tonningen  ;  the 
Pilgrim  had  been  a  long  time  at  sea,  and  was  short  of  provi- 
sions, particularly  bread.  The  captain  said  he  had  lost  his 
stern-boat,  and  that  his  long-boat  would  not  float ;  he  there- 
fore requested  me  to  send  my  boat  on  board,  and  supply  him 
with  some  necessary  stores,  I  accordingly  sent  my  boat  to 
ascertain  what  he  most  wanted ;  she  soon  returned  with  a 
polite  note  from  the  supercargo,  Mi'-  Dcpeyster,  stating  that  the 
Pilgrim  had  been  nearly  four  months  from  New- York,  and 
was  in  great  want  of  almost  every  necessary  of  life.  I  then 
put  into  the  boat  three  barrels  of  pilot  bread,  some  hams,  and 
a  few  bottles  of  Holland  gin,  and  ordered  the  officer  of  the 
boat  not  to  go  alongside  of  the  ship,  but  to  go  astern,  and  let 
them  haul  the  bread  and  the  other  articles  on  board  over  the 
taffrail,  the  sea  being  so  high  that  I  deemed  it  unsafe  to  go 
alongside  ;  this  order  was  promptly  executed,  when  llie  boat 
returned  and  was  hoisted  in  without  accident. 

The  Pilgrim  was  an  eastern  ship,  I  think  from  Portland 
or  Portsmouth,  was  chartered  in  New-York,  from  whence  she 
sailed.  She  touched  off  St.  Sebastian,  and  after  communica- 
ting with  that  place,  was  afraid  to  enter  for  fear  of  seizure,  as 


76  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

Bonaparte  had  already  laid  his  iron  grasp  upon  several  Amer- 
ican ships  and  their  cargoes,  while  lying  in  that  port ;  thus 
situated,  the  supercargo  concluded  to  proceed  to  Tonningen,  and 
was  now  on  his  way  thither.  I  hailed  the  Pilgrim  again,  and 
inquired  of  the  captain  whether  he  felt  disposed  to  run  for 
the  Pentland  Firth ;  he  replied,  that  he  was  unacquainted 
with  the  passage,  and  dare  not  attempt  it.  I  told  him  I 
had  a  fine  chart  of  the  Firth,  and  a  good  book  of  directions  ; 
still  he  concluded  not  to  venture  so  dangerous  a  passage.  The 
wind  was  now  at  N.  N.  E.  and  N.  E.,  and  to  beat  up  to 
Fair  Island  passage  would,  in  all  probability,  be  a  long  and 
tedious  business,  and  thus,  after  mutual  good  wishes,  we  sep- 
arated. I  immediately  filled  away  with  a  free  wind  for  the 
Pentland  Firth,  and  he  continued  to  beat  up  for  Fair  Island. 
The  next  morning,  April  the  11th,  I  got  down  into  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  passage  ;  the  wind  being  light  at  N.  E.  and  the 
ebb  tide  running  out  of  the  North  Sea  against  us,  I  hauled  in 
shore  not  far  to  the  westward  of  Duncansby  Head,  and  there 
ran  into  a  little  bay  to  keep  out  of  the  strength  of  the  current, 
until  the  change  of  the  tide.  Here  1  was  boarded  by  a  boat, 
with  six  oarsmen  and  a  Patroon,  bound  to  South  Ronaldsha  ;  he 
inquired  whether  I  wanted  a  pilot  to  take  me  through  the 
Firth,  I  answered  that  depended  upon  the  price  ;  from  my  ex- 
perience with  Heligoland  pilots,  I  was  cautious,  and  fearing 
extortion,  demanded  the  price  to  take  me  through  the  Firth ; 
he  said  he  would  charge  but  a  guinea  and  a  half,  I  told  him 
to  come  on  board,  that  I  would  willingly  give  him  two.  I 
recollect  the  name  of  the  Patroon  or  captain  of  the  boat  was 
Pitcairn,  a  very  intelligent,  clever  fellow,  and  like  the  general- 
ity of  liis  countrymen,  very  candid,  honest,  and  sincere.  Soon 
after,  the  tide  began  to  make  in  our  favor,  when  we  sailed  out 
into  the  middle  of  the  passage  to  have  the  full  benefit  of  the 
current;  the  wind  became  very  light  and  the  current  so  strong 
that  we  had  no  command  of  the  vessel ;  at  this  moment  it  ap- 
peared as  though  the  current  was  setting  the  schooner  directly 
on  to  Duncansby  Head,  a  high,  bold,  abrupt  cape,  which  in 


FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  77 

our  situation  had  a  most  terrific  appearance.  On  my  express- 
ing my  fears  to  the  pilot,  he  said  there  was  no  kind  of 
danger ;  that  hefore  we  got  to  the  head,  the  current  would 
carry  us  off  again  in  safety.  On  the  other  side  of  the  Firth, 
were  several  small  islands,  called  the  Pentland  Skerries,  and 
after  passing  Dunoansby  Head,  I  began  to  fear  these  rocky 
islands ;  but  here  again  the  pilot  assured  me  that  I  need  be 
under  no  apprehension,  that  the  strength  of  the  current  would 
take  me  directly  through  the  passage,  and  that  it  was  about 
time  for  him  to  leave  us.  He  then  inquired  whether  I  would 
pay  him  in  rum ;  I  asked  what  rum  was  worth  a  gallon ; 
he  said  a  guinea.  1  accordingly  gave  him  two  gallons, 
with  a  quantity  of  bread,  beef,  etc.,  and  we  parted  mutually 
satisfied.  I  have  never  before  or  since  seen  the  current  run 
so  rapidly  as  in  this  passage ;  at  times  it  roars  like  distant 
thunder,  and  not  having  on  hand  any  books  to  refer  to  on  the 
subject,  I  am  afraid  to  state  its  rate  of  running  ;  but  am  under 
the  impression  that  at  the  full  and  change  of  the  moon,  that  is 
to  say,  at  spring  tides,  its  force  is  eight  or  ten  miles  the  hour. 
After  the  pilot  left  us,  I  made  sail  with  a  pleasant  breeze  from 
the  N.  E.  and  in  six  days  got  to  Heligoland  ;  there  I  readily 
obtained  a  pilot  at  a  moderate  price,  say  about  fifty  dollars, 
and  came  safe  to  anchor  in  the  Eyder,  at  the  port  of  Tonningen, 
on  the  17th  of  April,  thirty-seven  days  from  New- York.  I 
will  here  observe  that  the  Pilgrim  did  not  get  here  until  about 
a  month  after,  and  that  fears  were  expressed  for  her  safety. 
On  her  arrival,  the  supercargo  told  me  they  had  been  on  short 
allowance  of  bread  for  several  days ;  and  both  he  and  the 
captain  expressed  a  great  deal  of  gratitude  for  the  supply  of 
bread  and  other  things  they  had  received  from  me. 

On  my  arrival,  I  wrote  to  Joshua  Moses,  Esq.,  one  of  the 
owners  of  the  Eliza,  and  also  to  Messrs.  Parish  (fc  Co.,  at  Ham- 
burg, advising  them  of  my  being  here,  and  in  a  few  days  got 
answers  from  these  gentlemen,  requesting  me  to  delay  entering 
the  schooner  at  the  custom-house  for  some  days,  as  they  had 
not  decided  whether  to  dispose  of  the  cargo  at  Hamburg,  or  to 


78  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONEE  ELIZA. 

proceed  through  the  canal  to  Kiel,  or  some  other  port  in  the 
Baltic.  The  markets  here  were  not  so  good  for  colonial  pro- 
duce as  they  were  on  my  last  voyage,  which  caused  Mr.  Mo- 
ses to  delay  selling  for  several  weeks.  On  the  11th  of  May, 
however,  I  received  a  letter  from  him  informing  me  that  he  had 
sold  the  indigo,  deliverable  in  Tonningen,  and  that  he  had  ap- 
pointed Mr.  Joachim  Lexon,  as  our  commercial  agent ;  that 
he  wished  the  cargo  all  landed  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that 
he  had  purchased  some  portion  ot  our  return  cargo.  We  ac- 
cordingly discharged  the  schooner  without  delay,  and  took  on 
board  a  quantity  of  iron  ballast.  A  few  days  after  the  schooner 
was  discharged,  Mr.  Moses  arrived  here  from  Hamburg,  and 
politely  invited  me  to  return  with  him  to  that  city,  and  aid 
him  in  the  purchase  of  our  return  cargo,  for  the  New- York 
market.  I  knew  very  little  about  the  selection  of  French  and 
German  goods,  and  of  course  received  the  invitation  to  spend  a 
week  or  ten  days  in  Hamburg  as  a  compliment  from  Mr.  Mo- 
ses, who  Avas  always  polite  and  gentlemanly,  and  treated  me 
more  like  a  friend  and  companion,  than  a  hired  captain  in  his 
employment.  He  had  with  him  his  own  post-chaise,  and  al- 
ways travelled  like  a  gentleman.  We  took  post-horses  on  the 
road,  and  had  a  very  pleasant  jaunt  to  Hamburg.  I  had  been 
hereonmy  last  voyage,  in  the  ship  Virginia,  and  as  I  had  been 
absent  only  about  six  or  eight  months,  I  found  no  diliiculty  in  re- 
newing my  former  acquaintance  with  my  commercial  friends, 
besides  receiving  much  hospitality  from  my  former  consignees, 
Messrs.  Parish  &  Go.  Mr.  Moses  introduced  me  to  several 
other  mercantile  houses,  by  whom  we  were  politely  entertain- 
ed ;  and  thus  I  had  the  pleasure  to  spend  ten  days  very  satis- 
factorily in  this  agreeable  city.  Although  the  German  is  the 
language  of  this  place,  still  a  stranger  has  no  difficulty  in  com- 
municating with  a  great  portion  of  the  inhabitants.  From  its 
extensive  commerce  all  the  modern  languages  are  spoken  here  : 
all  the  large  dealers  and  the  most  of  the  shopkeepers,  speak 
two  or  three  tongues,  viz. :  German,  French  and  English,  and 
frequently  Spanish  and  Italian. 


FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  79 

I  often  dined  with  merchants  and  their  families,  during 
my  stay  here,  and  have  been  dehghted  to  hear  their  children 
converse  with  several  captains  and  supercargoes  of  different 
nations,  each  in  their  own  language.  In  all  my  travels  about 
the  world,  I  have  never  found  a  people  acquire  foreign  lan- 
guages with  so  much  facility  as  the  Germans.  After  Mr. 
Moses  had  made  all  his  purchases,  and  dispatched  his  goods 
to  Tonningen,  I  returned  in  a  post-wagon,  by  the  same  road  we 
came,  and  arrived  safe  at  Tonningen,  on  the  15th  of  May.  The 
goods  purchased  in  Hamburg  consisted  of  glass-ware,  German 
linens,  and  French  silks,  etc.,  etc.,  and  altogether  amounted  to 
152  bales  and  packages.  A  large  portion  of  these  goods  were 
very  valuable,  and  very  much  wanted  at  this  time  in  the  United 
States.  We  finished  loading  our  schooner  on  the  4th,  and 
after  waiting  about  a  week  for  a  fair  wind,  sailed  on  the  11th 
of  June,  bound  for  New- York,  making  our  stay  here  just  54 
days.  We  took  the  northern  route,  viz.,  through  Fair  Island 
passage,  and  met  with  nothing  worth  remarking,  until  we 
arrived  at  New- York,  on  the  23d  of  July,  43  days  from  Tonnin- 
gen. All  our  returned  cargo  sold  well,  and  the  little  schooner 
made  an  excellent  voyage.  Through  the  advice  and  assist-* 
ance  of  Mr.  Joshua  Moses,  I  purchased  while  in  Hamburg  a 
quantity  of  French  and  German  goods,  for  my  own  private 
adventure,  which  paid  a  very  large  profit.  The  voyage  was 
soon  settled,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  concerned,  and  I 
again  returned  to  my  native  place  in  Connecticut. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA,  FROM  NEW-TOEK  TO 
SWEDEN  AND  EUSSIA,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEAES 

1810  AND  1811. 


I  HAD  but  about  a  fortnight's  leisure  with  my  mother  and  sis- 
ter in  Milford,  before  I  received  a  letter  from  my  employers, 
Messrs.  Moses  &  Co.,  informing  me  that  they  had  decided  on 
sending  the  Eliza  on  another  voyage  to  the  north  of  Europe, 
and  requested  me  to  return  to  New- York,  and  commence  load- 
ing with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  I  therefore  lost  no  time, 
jand  forthwith  returned  and  commenced  loading  the  schooner, 
for  Gottenburg  and  a  market.  Our  cargo  consisted  of  Havana 
sugar,  coffee,  rum,  segars,  nankeens,  and  a  variety  of  other 
valuable  articles. 

I  took  with  me  my  former  mate,  Mr.  Trowbridge,  and 
also  my  brother  James — the  remainder  of  the  crew  were 
strangers. 

On  the  30th  of  August  we  were  ready,  and  sailed  the  next 
day,  with  a  light  breeze  from  the  N.  N.  E.,  with  open,  cloudy 
weather. 

The  wind  was  light  during  the  day,  and  the  ocean  uncom- 
monly smooth,  so  that  we  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  Highlands 
of  Ncversink  until  dark.  Wo  ran  off  to  the  E.  S.  E.,  and 
soon  got  clear  of  the  coast.  We  were  favored  with  southerly 
and  westerly  winds,  and  generally  fnie  weather,  as  is  usual  at 
this  season  of  the  year. 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER   ELIZA.  81 

Nothing  worthy  of  leiiiark  occurred  until  the  11th  of  Sep- 
tember, on  the  eleventh  day  from  New-York,  when  we  got 
soundings  in  forty  fathoms  of  water,  on  the  grand  bank  ol 
Newfoundland.  After  this,  we  continued  to  have  fair  westerly 
winds,  until  we  reached  the  longitude  23°  west ;  here  the 
wind  shifted  to  the  S.  E.,  and  blew  violently  from  that  quarter 
for  several  hours.  It  soon  raised  a  high  sea,  and  then  gradu- 
ally subsided  to  a  calm,  when,  for  want  of  wind  to  steady 
her,  our  little  schooner  was  terribly  tossed  about  for  the  space 
of  two  hours.  After  that,  the  wind  suddenly  returned  to  the 
N.  W.,  and  blew  a  perfect  hurricane.  We  shipped  a  sea, 
which  washed  the  binnacle  and  compasses  overboard,  and 
many  light  things  from  the  deck.  I  was  driven  with  great 
force  into  the  lee-waist,  and  came  very  near  being  washed 
overboard.  The  wind  split  our  mainsail  and  jib  in  pieces,  and 
blew  with  such  violence  that  we  were  obliged  to  lie  to  for 
eight  hours,  under  a  double-reefed  foresail.  We  were  now 
nineteen  days  out,  and  had  thus  far  made  good  progress  on 
our  passage.  The  next  day  it  became  more  moderate,  when 
we  again  made  sail,  with  the  wind  at  W.  and  N.  W.  It  con- 
tinued favorable  for  four  days,  when  we  made  the  Island  of 
Barra,  bearing  S.  S.  E.,  distant  about  four  leagues,  twenty- 
three  days  from  New- York.  Soon  after,  we  saw  Rona  Island. 
Barra  and  Rona  are  two  high,  rocky  islands,  not  far  asunder, 
lying  off  the  N.  W.  coast  of  Scotland,  in  latitude  59°  north, 
and  longitude  about  60°  15'  west.  The  next  day  we  saw  the 
light-house  on  North  Ronaldsha,  six  miles  distant.  Fair 
Island  bore  at  this  time  cast  about  twenty  miles  distant ;  light 
airs  from  the  southward,  and  fine  weather.  The  next  day, 
September  the  26th,  at  noon,  passed  quite  near  Fair  Island — 
I  should  think  within  a  mile  of  its  south  shore.  Two  boats 
full  of  men  came  alongside  and  supplied  us  with  fish  ;  they 
were  a  poor,  miserable  looking  race,  and  filthy  to  the  last  de- 
gree. They  informed  me  that  there  were  about  300  souls  on 
the  island,  and  that  they  subsisted  by  catching  fish,  now  and 
then  gaining  a  few  dollars  by  piloting  ships  through  the  pas- 
6 


82  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

sage,  and  sometimes  selling  a  few  eggs,  stockings,  &c.  It  is 
a  very  small  island — perhaps  two  miles  long  and  one  broad — 
of  a  moderate  height ;  it  lies  in  latitude  59°  29'  north  ;  longi- 
tude, 1°  47'  west.  We  had  light  winds  from  the  southward 
for  two  days,  when  we  made  the  land  about  Stowenger,  in 
Norway,  60  miles  from  the  Naze,  bearing  from  E.  N.  E.  to  S. 
E.,  distant  11  or  12  leagues — fresh  gales  from  the  S.  E.  and  a 
high  sea  running.  On  the  1st  of  October  the  weather  was 
clear  and  fine,  with  light  winds  from  the  southward  ;  a  fleet 
of  ships  and  brigs  passed  us,  standing  to  the  eastward  ;  saw 
the  land  about  the  Naze  of  Norway,  bearing  from  N.  to  N.  E. 
The  next  day,  October  2d,  saw  the  land,  about  35  miles  to 
the  southward  and  westward  of  the  Skaw  Point,  in  Jutland ; 
at  noon  this  day,  the  Skaw  light-house  bore  S.  W.  two 
leagues  distant.  The  next  day,  October  3d,  made  Wingo 
Island,  bearing  E.  S.  E.,  two  leagues  distant ;  at  6  P.  M.,  took 
in  sail  and  hauled  off  shore,  it  being  too  late  to  go  into  port ; 
stood  off  and  on  all  night,  and  at  9  A.  M.,  October  4th,  pro- 
cured a  pilot,  and  at  10  A.  M.  came  to  anchor  in  the  port  of 
Gottenburg,  about  12  miles  from  the  city.  While  off  this  port 
we  found  our  rudder  was  out  of  order,  and  worked  with  great 
difficulty.  After  coming  to  anchor  we  examined  it,  and  dis- 
covered that  one  of  the  copper  pintals  was  broken,  and  I  felt 
myself  fortunate  to  get  into  port  without  its  entire  loss.  We 
were  soon  visited  by  the  health-boat,  and  though  all  well,  still 
we  were  requested  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  quarantine 
ground,  and  remain  there  until  further  orders.  We  found  the 
quarantine  a  small,  siuig  harbor,  four  fathoms  deep,  and  nearly 
surrounded  with  high  rocks. 

October  Ath.  Wc  were  this  day  again  visited  by  the  health 
boat  and  liberated  from  quarantine,  after  a  day's  detention.  I 
now  wrote  to  Mr.  Moses,  one  of  my  owners,  who  was  at  this 
time  residing  at  Copenhagen,  and  also  to  the  house  of  Parish 
&.  Co.  at  Hamburg,  advising  them  of  my  arrival,  and  stating 
also  that  I  should  wait  their  orders  where  to  proceed.  I  con- 
cluded to  let  the  schooner  remain  in  this  little  harbor  until  I 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCnOONER  ELIZA.  83 

could  repair  the  rudder.  For  this  purpose  I  unshipped  it  and  got 
a  new  pintal  made  in  Gottcnburg,  and  after  it  was  repaired 
and  ready,  I  took  sufficient  cargo  out  of  the  run  and  after-part 
of  the  vessel  and  placed  it  forward  so  that  I  was  enabled  to 
ship  the  rudder  without  discharging  the  schooner.  When  I 
again  returned  to  the  inner  port  of  Gottenburg,  6  miles  from 
the  town,  there  were  lying  there  several  English  line  of  battle 
ships,  frigates  and  sloops  of  war.  Many  merchant  ships  of 
different  nations  were  daily  arriving  at  this  place  of  rendez- 
vous to  proceed  up  the  Categat  and  Baltic.  The  flag  ship  at 
this  port  was  the  Victory,  Admiral  Sir  James  Soumarez.  The 
merchant  vessels  had  been  collecting  for  several  weeks,  and  as 
this  was  the  last  convoy  into  the  Baltic  for  the  season,  a  great 
number  of  them  of  all  descriptions  had  assembled — -I  believe 
at  least  600  sail.  The  whole  of  this  vast  fleet  were  nominally 
neutral  ships,  sailing  under  the  different  flags  of  nearly  all  the 
petty  states  of  Germany,  and  their  cargoes  purporting  to  be  the 
bona  fide  property  of  their  respective  countries,  while  in  point 
of  fact,  the  most  of  them  were  English  property,  cloaked  or 
covered  by  the  flags  of  these  different  nations  by  simulated  or 
counterfeit  papers.  I  was  told  at  this  period  that  it  was  an 
every  day  occurrence  in  London  to  manufacture  false  papers 
and  invoices,  and  that  an  entire  set  of  simulated  papers  for  a 
ship  could  be  procured  for  10  guineas,  and  so  adroitly  executed 
that  it  was  difficult  to  detect  them. 

On  the  continent  Bonaparte  was  striving  to  carry  out  his 
plan  to  conquer  England,  by  cutting  off  all  their  commerce 
with  Europe,  and  he  accordingly  prohibited  the  introduction 
of  all  British  goods,  and  also  of  their  colonial  productions,  and 
frequently  ordered  a  quantity  of  English  manufactured  goods 
to  be  burnt  on  the  public  squares  in  the  different  towns  and 
cities  on  the  continent.  He  said  they  were  a  nation  of  money- 
loving  shopkeepers  devoid  of  honor  or  integrity,  and  the  most 
effectual  way  to  subdue  them,  was  to  annihilate  their  trade 
and  commerce  and  thus  create  a  revolution  in  England,  so 
that  they  should  destroy  themselves  by  civil  war.     In  Eng- 


84:  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

land  the  government  was  compelled  to  sustain  the  manufac- 
tures to  keep  the  working  classes  from  idleness,  riot,  and  re- 
bellion. The  difficulty  and  risk  of  disposing  of  their  manu- 
factured articles  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  the  fear  of 
seizure,  compelled  them  to  resort  to  every  stratagem  that  hu- 
man ingenuity  could  invent ;  and  yet,  notwithstanding  all  these 
indirect  expedients,  their  manufactured  goods  were  constantly 
accumulating,  and  sales  were  daily  made  at  ruinous  prices. 

A  few  days  before  we  sailed  from  Gottenburg,  an  order 
was  given  for  the  captains  of  all  neutral  vessels  to  repair  on 
board  of  the  flag-f^hip,  for  sailing  orders  or  instructions  how  to 
sail  in  the  fleet.  Signals  were  given  them  to  enable  each  one 
to  comply  with  the  order  of  sailing;  and,  among  others,  seve- 
ral American  captains  went  also  for  written  instructions,  and 
on  applying  to  the  first  lieutenant,  and  telling  him  that  they 
were  Americans,  he  discourteously  said — You  certainly  have 
a  great  deal  of  assurance  to  call  on  us  for  protection,  when 
your  country  and  government  treat  the  British  nation  with 
offensive  barbarity — prohibiting  us  the  use  of  your  harbors, 
and  often  refusing  our  ships-of-war  water  and  fresh  provisions. 
After  this  tirade,  he  gave  them  their  sailing  orders,  and  left 
them  to  repair  on  board,  without  the  usual  ceremony  of  seeing 
them  leave  the  ship. 

When  I  heard  this  statement  from  my  countrymen,  I 
resolved  to  ask  for  no  orders.  As  mine  was  a  fast-sailing 
schooner,  I  knew  I  could  choose  my  own  position  in  the 
fleet,  and  could  not  believe  them  such  barbarians  as  to  drive 
me  away  from  it.  I  therefore  took  the  responsibility,  and 
sailed  with  the  rest,  without  a  scrap  of  paper. 

None  but  those  engaged  in  connnerce  at  this  period  can  at 
all  realize  the  annoying  persecutions  neutral  nations,  and  their 
ships  and  commerce,  experienced  from  the  English  and 
French  governments  and  their  satellites ;  and  although  I  suf- 
fered, in  many  instunces,  much  ill  treatment  and  vexatious 
detention,  still  I  do  not  wish  to  exaggerate  or  amplify  the 
subject ;  all  I  desire  is,  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  pres- 


SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA.  85 

ent  generation  what  their  fathers  have  suffered,  that  they  may 
know  by  comparison  how  to  prize  the  privileges  they  so  richly 
enjoy,  namely,  wealth,  power,  peace  and  prosperity. 

About  ten  days  after  my  arriA'^al,  Mr.  J.  Moses  came  on 
here  from  Hamburg,  and  appointed  Messrs.  Martin,  Hatterman 
&  Sons,  of  this  place,  as  my  commercial  agents,  viz.,  to  ad- 
vance me  all  necessary  funds,  and  assist  me  as  business 
friends.  Mr.  M.  advised  me  to  proceed  with  the  convoy 
through  the  Great  Belt,  and  then  leave  it,  and  push  on  for 
Carlsham  in  Sweden,  where  I  would  find  letters  directing  me 
where  to  go  from  thence.  Mr.  M.  then  left  Gottenburg  for  Kiel,  to 
ascertain  the  state  of  the  markets  in  Prussia,  and  also  whether 
American  ships  and  goods  would  be  free  from  seizure  by  the 
French,  in  the  Baltic  ports  along  the  Prussian  coast,  and 
finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  no  American  property  was 
safe  on  the  Prussian  side  of  the  Baltic ;  and  although  very 
late  in  the  season,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  he 
thought  it  best  for  me  to  push  on  for  some  port  in  Russia. 

Gottenburg  is  too  well  known  to  require  any  particular 
description  from  me.  I  will  therefore  only  make  a  few 
general  remarks  on  the  subject.  In  point  of  size,  it  is  the 
second  city  in  the  kingdom  of  Sweden,  and  contains  about 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants  ;  it  has  a  spacious  harbor,  and  lies 
in  latitude  57°  42'  north,  longitude  11°  58'  east  of  London, 
and  about  260  miles  south-west  of  Stockholm.  The  land 
about  the  harbor  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  appears  rocky, 
rough,  and  barren,  still  the  valleys  must  be  very  fertile.  I 
observed,  while  lying  here,  that  besides  supplying  their  city, 
and  a  large  number  of  their  own  ships  and  vessels,  there  were 
lying  in  this  port  a  numerous  fleet  of  English  men-of-war,  and 
some  eight  hundred  sail  of  merchant  ships,  to  be  daily  sup- 
plied with  fresh  provisions  and  vegetables,  and  still  there  was 
enough,  and  at  very  reasonable  prices,  besides  fish  in  great 
abundance. 

We  sailed  on  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  October,  bound 
to  Carlsham,  by  the  way  of  the  Great  Belt.     At  this  time  there 


86  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

was  war  between  England  and  Denmark,  which  prevented  the 
Enghsh  from  passmg  through  the  sound  of  Elsineur  and  Co- 
penhagen ;  they  were  therefore  compelled  to  pass  through  the 
passage  between  Zealand  and  Funen,  called  the  Great  Belt ; 
this  is  a  rocky  and  dangerous  passage,  and  not  wide  enough 
for  a  large  number  of  ships  to  beat  to  windward,  so  that  when- 
ever the  wind  was  contrary,  the  whole  fleet  immediately  came  to 
anchor,  no  matter  how  deep  the  water  might  be,  or  how  rocky  the 
bottom.  The  first  day  after  leaving  Gottenburg,  we  had  light 
winds  from  the  N.  E,,  and  clear,  pleasant  weather.  At  meri- 
dian,-Meddengin  light  bore  S.  S.  E.,  8  miles  distant.  The 
next  day,  Oct.  25th,  the  wind  continued  light,  and  the  weather 
clear.  At  8  A.  M.,  Anholt  bore  S.  S.  W.,  five  leagues  distant. 
We  had  light  winds  throughout  this  day.  The  schooner  Eliza, 
being  pilot  boat  built,  sailed  remarkably  fast,  which  enabled 
me  to  run  ahead  of  the  fleet,  that  is  to  say,  all  except  the  flag 
ship  St.  George,  of  74  guns  ;  this  vessel  led  the  van  ;  of  course, 
no  merchant  vessel  was  allowed  to  go  ahead  of  the  Admiral. 
I  used  often  to  amuse  myself  with  speaking  the  American 
vessels — the  number  of  which  was  some  eight  or  ten — and 
after  passing  the  merchant  ships,  would  then  take  in  all  sail, 
except  the  foretopsail,  and  thus  under  very  little  canvas  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  up  with  the  fleet.  At  night,  the 
standing  signal  was  for  the  headmost  ships  to  shorten  sail 
and  close  convoy,  and  it  sometimes  happened  that  one  of  the 
frigates  was  ordered  to  make  fast  to  a  dull  sailing  ship,  and 
tow  her  up  into  the  midst  of  the  fleet.  The  ordinary  mode  of 
sailing  was  thus  :  a  line  of  battle  ship  ahead  to  lead  the  van, 
one  or  two  frigates  astern,  and  a  sloop  of  war,  and  a  brig  or 
two  to  protect  the  flanks  or  outside  ships,  those  nearest  the 
land  on  both  sides  of  the  passage,  and  notwithstanding  all 
these  precautions,  the  Danish  boats  would  now  and  then  in- 
tercept a  straggler.  One  morning  a  gun-boat  came  out  of  a 
little  port  on  the  Zealand  side,  and  endeavored  to  cut  off"  a 
brig  that  had  ventured  a  little  too  near  the  shore.  The  flag 
ship  immediately  hauled  up  to  protect  her.     To  witness  the 


SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  87 

firing,  I  ran  my  little  schooner  close  under  the  stern  of  the  St 
George,  74.  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  daring  bravcny  of 
the  gallant  Danes,  and  to  see  with  what  apparent  nonchalance 
they  regarded  cannon  balls.  The  St.  George  was  obliged  to 
fire  six  or  eight  shot  before  the  gun-boat  could  be  induced 
to  haul  off  and  give  up  the  chase.  To  my  surprise, 
although  the  shot  fell  all  around  her,  not  one  shot  took 
effect.  When  the  seventy-four  drew  too  near,  these  brave 
fellows  deliberately  took  to  their  oars  and  returned  into  port. 
I  was  often  amused  to  see  the  merchant  ships,  at  nightfall, 
huddle  together  ;  they  reminded  me  of  a  brood  of  chickens 
gathering  around  the  parent  hen  for  protection.  We  used 
to  anchor  at  night  clustered  together ;  the  men-of-war  were 
stationed  all  around  the  fleet,  to  protect  us  from  the  privateers 
and  gun-boats  from  out  of  the  adjacent  ports  on  both  sides  of 
the  Great  Belt.  From  the  25th  to  the  27th  the  winds  con- 
tinued light  from  the  eastward,  and  fine  weather.  We  usually 
anchored  at  0  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  lay  until  daylight, 
generally  in  about  10  to  15  fathoms  of  water — the  Jutland 
shore  bearing  from  N.  W.  to  W.  S.  W.,  eight  miles  distant. 
From  the  27th  to  the  29th  we  lay  at  anchor  the  greatest  part 
of  the  time — the  wind  being  ahead.  At  G  A.  M.,  on  the  29th, 
all  the  fleet  was  ordered  to  get  under  way ;  it  was  blowing 
strong  at  the  time,  with  a  high  sea  running,  and  so  many 
ships  crowded  together  that  I  found  it  impossible  to  weigh 
our  anchor,  without  getting  foul  of  some  other  vessel ;  we 
were  therefore  obliged  to  cut  the  cable  and  lose  the  anchor, 
with  the  greater  part  of  the  small  bower.  A  great  many  ves- 
sels were  similarly  situated,  and  were  obliged  to  slip  and  cut, 
and  make  sail,  to  keep  up  with  the  convoy.  I  think,  without 
the  least  exaggeration,  I  passed  more  than  fifty  buoys  on  an- 
chors and  cables  that  had  been  thus  left.  We  had  fresh  gales 
from  the  northward,  with  squalls  of  hail  and  snow,  throughout 
the  day.  On  the  30th  we  had  fresh  breezes  at  north-west, 
with  squalls  of  hail  and  snow  ;  at  5  P.  M.,  came  to  anchor  in 
15  fathoms  of  water,  where  we  lay  all  night.     On  the  31st  we 


88  SECOIST)  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

had  light  winds  from  the  north-west  and  clear  weather.  At 
noon  this  day  the  east  end  of  the  Island  of  Ferneron  bore  S. 
W.  6  miles  distant ;  during  the  whole  day  we  only  made  5 
leagues,  when  we  anchored  for  the  night.  On  the  1st  of  No- 
vember we  got  through  the  Belt  passage ;  I  then  left  the  fleet, 
and  made  sail  alone  for  Carlsham  ;  at  4  P.  M.  got  abreast  of 
Darshead ;  at  5  P.  M.  it  bore  S.  W.  8  miles  distant ;  at  6  P. 
M.  saw  Sand  Hamsur  Hills,  on  the  coast  of  Sweden,  bearing 
N.  N.  W.,  distant  about  8  miles — several  sail  in  sight  plying 
to  windward  ;  during  the  night  we  had  strong  gales  from  the 
N.  E.,  with  much  hail  and  snow,  attended  with  a  bad  sea. 
On  the  2d  of  November  we  had  strong  gales  from  the  N.  E., 
with  violent  squalls  of  hail,  sleet  and  snow  ;  at  4  P.  M.  the 
Island  of  Bornholm  bore  south  by  compass,  2  leagues  distant. 
Strong  gales  still  at  N.  E. ;  handed  the  topsail,  got  down  the 
foreyard,  and  close  reefed  all  the  lower  sails  ;  violent  gales, 
with  snowy  cold  weather,  with  a  high  cross-sea  running 
through  the  day.  On  the  3d  we  had  a  continuation  of  the 
same  N.  E.  gale,  with  equally  bad  weather,  viz.,  snow,  hail, 
and  very  cold,  cloudy  weather,  and  a  high  sea  running.  At 
meridian,  saw  a  bark  near  us,  with  her  mainmast  gone,  just 
above  the  deck.  They  showed  Swedish  colors,  and  appeared 
to  be  in  distress.  I  bore  up,  and  ran  under  her  lee,  but  could 
render  her  no  assistance,  as  it  was  blowing  a  severe  gale,  and 
a  very  high  sea  on.  At  noon,  saw  Bornholm,  again  bearing 
S.  E.  by  S.,  3  leagues  distant.  The  4th  commenced  with  a 
continuation  of  the  same  N.  E.  gale,  and  cold,  snowy  weather. 
Towards  night  it  moderated,  and  shifted  to  the  S.  S.  E.,  when 
we  made  sail  and  stood  in  for  the  Swedish  coast.  On  the  5th 
the  weather  was  more  moderate  ;  wind  at  S.  W.,  but  still 
cloudy  and  dark.  At  noon,  spoke  the  ship  Lyon,  of  Philadel- 
phia, Captain  Bainbridge,*  from  St.  Petersburg,  bound  to  New- 

*  Captain  William  Bainbridge,  of  Ihe  United  States  navy,  afterwards 
Commodore  Bainbridge,  who  so  gallantly  distinguished  himself  about  three 
years  after  this  period,  by  the  capture  and  destruction  of  the  British  frigate 
Java,  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1813. 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  89 

York.  At  2  P.  M.  saw  Bornholm  again  bearing  E.  by  S.,  5 
leagues  distant.  On  tlic  6th  we  had  hght  winds  and  hazy- 
weather.  At  6  in  the  morning  saw  the  Island  of  Hano,  bear- 
ing N.  N.  W.  ;  here  we  got  a  pilot,  and  at  2  P.  M.  came  to 
anchor  at  Matwick  Bay,  in  6  fathoms  of  water.  This  is  a 
snug  little  harbor,  sheltered  by  high  rocks  on  almost  every 
side — a  sort  of  outer  port  for  the  town  of  Carlsham.  In  an 
adjacent  one,  a  mile  or  two  from  where  we  lay,  I  saw  lying 
at  anchor  an  English  seventy-four  and  two  frigates. 

The  newly  appointed  King  of  Sweden,  Bernadotte,  was 
daily  expected  at  Stockholm,  and  as  it  Avas  imcertain  what 
course  of  policy  he  would  pursue  in  the  great  contest  between 
England  and  Prance,  this  circumstance  had  created  some  diffi- 
culty between  England  and  Sweden,  and  though  not  abso- 
lutely at  war,  neither  were  they  exactly  at  peace  ;  the  English 
ships  of  war  now  lie  in  the  outer  ports  of  Sweden,  and  have 
but  little  open  intercourse  with  the  towns  and  cities,  and  while 
we  lay  here  the  officers  of  the  English  men-of-war  frequently 
went  on  shore  in  plain  dress,  and  passed  themselves  off  as 
American  captains  and  supercargoes. 

Carlsham  is  a  small  town  of  about  4000  inhabitants ;  it 
has  two  churches,  a  hospital,  and  several  manufactories  of 
canvas  and  woollen  goods ;  its  principal  exports  are  timber, 
pine  boards,  pitch  and  tar.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of 
my  arrival,  on  the  6th  of  November,  I  went  to  Carlsham  in  a 
shore  boat,  and  delivered  my  letter  of  introduction  to  Messrs. 
William  Schmid  &.  Co.,  one  of  the  principal  mercantile  houses 
at  this  place,  and  inquired  for  letters  from  my  owner,  Mr.  J. 
Moses,  but  found  none.  I  also  endeavored  to  obtain  a  cable 
and  anchor  for  the  Eliza,  but  could  find  none  of  a  suitable 
size  in  the  town.  On  Iny  return  in  the  evening  of  the  same 
day,  I  found  all  the  crew  of  my  vessel,  except  the  mate  and 
steward,  had  been  taken  out  of  the  schooner  and  sent  on  board 
the  English  seventy-four.  This  ship  had  sent  a  midshipman 
and  ten  men  and  had  taken  possession  of  my  schooner.  They 
had  also  seized  my  log-book  and  all  the  papers  they  could  find, 


90  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

and  said  they  expected  my  vessel  and  cargo  would  prove  a 
good  prize  to  their  ship.  I  of  course  was  very  much  excited 
and  vexed  at  such  arbitrary  proceedings,  and  expressed  my 
anger  very  freely  to  the  midshipman,  who  happened  to  be  a 
fine  young  gentleman.  He  was  mild  and  collected,  and  said 
he  hoped  I  would  not  blame  him,  that  it  was  no  fault  of  his ; 
he  was  only  acting  in  the  line  of  his  duty  in  obeying  his 
superior  officer.  I  saw  he  was  right,  and  immediately  apolo- 
gized for  what  I  had  so  hastily  uttered.  After  we  finally  un- 
derstood each  other,  he  said  it  was  too  late  to  see  the  captain 
that  night,  it  being  then  eight  o'clock ;  that  he  had  gone  on 
board  one  of  the  frigates  to  a  card  party,  and  that  I  had  better 
delay  going  to  see  him  until  morning.  Accordingly  at  nine 
next  morning,  I  repaired  on  board  the  seventy-four,  and  was 
told  the  captain  was  at  breakfast ;  I  waited  an  hour,  and  then 
sent  another  message  desiring  to  speak  a  few  words  with  him  ; 
the  answer  was,  that  he  was  making  his  toilet  and  could  not 
be  seen.  At  eleven  I  saw  this  bashaw  coming  out  of  his 
cabin  ;  he  appeared  to  be  going  forward  without  noticing  any 
body  on  his  way.  I  was  determined  to  speak  to  him,  and 
advanced  for  that  purpose  ;  without  ceremony  I  told  him  that 
my  vessel  had  been  taken  by  his  order,  and  I  would  thank 
him  if  he  would  have  the  goodness  to  explain  the  reason  of 
my  capture :  he  said,  Then  you  are,  I  suppose,  the  master  of 
the  schooner  that  came  into  this  port  yesterday.  On  my  an- 
swering in  the  affirmative  he  said,  I  have  not  time  to  attend  to 
the  cause  of  your  capture  myself,  but  have  appointed  two  of 
my  officers  to  investigate  your  business,  and  then  walked  away 
forward,  leaving  me  to  look  after  the  two  gentlemen  appointed 
to  inquire  into  the  legality  of  my  voyage,  and  after  waiting  on 
deck  about  an  hour,  I  was  requested  to  go  below  into  the 
wardroom,  where  I  found  the  purser  and  one  of  the  lieutenants 
looking  over  my  log-book,  and  examining  and  cross-question- 
ing my  sailors  about  the  voyage  -from  the  time  of  our  leaving 
New- York  until  we  arrived  at  Carlsham.  After  getting 
through  with  the  seamen,  they  then  commenced  with  me.     I 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  91 

told  them  my  story  was  a  short  one,  and  required  no  lawyer  to 
state  it ;  that  I  was  an  American,  that  my  vessel  and  cargo 
were  American  property,  that  I  came  under  convoy  of  an 
English  fleet  from  Gottcnhurg  through  the  Belt  passage,  and 
there  left  it,  and  had  put  into  Carlsham  for  letters,  and  further- 
more that  my  cargo  was  a  valuable  one,  and  from  the  late- 
ness of  the  season  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  sail  on  the 
morrow,  and  should  do  so  the  moment  they  released  my  ves- 
sel and  cargo  from  seizure  ;  on  the  contrary,  if  they  did  not 
at  once  give  me  back  my  schooner,  I  would  abandon  the  ves- 
sel and  cargo  to  my  captors,  and  forthwith  repair  with  my 
mate  to  Carlsham,  and  there  protest  against  their  unlawful 
proceedings.  The  two  grave  inquisitors  then  retired  into  the 
cabin,  and  after  a  long  consultation  they  returned  and  said 
their  captain  had  decided  to  release  my  vessel,  and  gave  an 
order  to  recall  the  midshipman  and  seamen,  and  allow  me  to 
sail  when  I  thought  proper.  Thus  after  having  been  detained 
a  night  and  a  day  without  the  slightest  cause,  1  was  graciously 
permitted  to  proceed  on  my  voyage.  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to 
comment  much  on  the  treatment  I  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
captain  of  this  seventy-four  gun  ship,  who  being  clothed  with 
a  little  brief  authority,  rendered  it  necessary  for  us  poor  mer- 
chant captains  at  this  time  to  submit  to  almost  every  kind  of 
indignity  without  any  possible  means  of  redress.  I  have 
merely  given  a  simple  statement  of  facts,  and  will  leave  my 
countrymen  and  all  other  neutral  nations  to  judge  for  them- 
selves. 

After  being  liberated  from  seizure  in  the  afternoon  of  No- 
vember the  7th,  I  returned  to  Carlsham,  where  I  found  letters 
from  Mr.  J.  M.  from  Copenhagen,  advising  me  to  make  the 
best  of  my  way  to  Riga,  and  that  he  would  meet  me  at  that 
place. 

The  next  day,  November  the  8th,  I  bought  a  quantity  of 
fresh  provisions,  sea  stores,  (fcc,  while  my  crew  were  employed 
repairing  sails  and  other  necessary  preparations ;  the  winter 
season  was  fast  approaching,  and  I  was  very  anxious  to  sail. 


92  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

On  the  9th  I  came  on  board  and  got  ready  for  sea.  I  had  a 
poor  inefficient  crew,  and  was  destined  to  encounter  a  cold 
stormy  passage  up  the  BaUic,  a  voyage  which  should  never  be 
undertaken  at  this  late  season  of  the  year  except  from  dire 
necessity. 

The  next  day,  November  the  10th,  at  ten  in  the  morning 
we  got  under  way,  with  a  light  air  from  the  eastward,  and 
stood  out  to  sea  ;  weather  dark  and  cloudy. 

On  the  11th,  the  wind  continued  light  from  the  E.  S.  E., 
with  dark,  cloudy  weather  ;  at  4  P.  M.,  the  island  of  Hano 
bore  west,  two  miles  distant,  several  sail  in  sight  standing 
down  the  Baltic.  Towards  night  the  wind  increased  to  a  fresh 
breeze  from  the  eastward.  Still  plying  to  windward  at  six  in  the 
evening,  saw  the  Clipper  Rocks,  bearing  E.  by  N.  at  a  dis- 
tance of  six  miles.  I  find  here  about  one  and  one-half  point 
westerly  variation  of  the  compass.  During  the  night  the  wind 
continued  at  E.  and  E.  N.  E.,  with  a  bad  head  sea  running.  On 
the  12th,  the  wind  blew  a  fresh  gale  from  the .  same  quarter, 
with  dark,  gloomy  weather,  with  sleet  and  snow ;  double 
reefed  the  sails  and  continued  to  ply  to  windward ;  at  noon, 
saw  the  Clipper  Rocks  again,  bearing  N.  by  E.  two  leagues 
off ;  during  the  latter  part  of  the  day  and  througout  the  night, 
we  had  strong  gales  from  the  eastward,  with  heavy  squalls  of 
rain  and  hail.  On  the  13th,  we  had  a  continuation  of  the  same 
winds,  but  with  more  sea  and  worse  weather.  Still  plying  to 
the  eastward  under  a  three-reefed  mainsail  and  foresail,  violent 
squalls  of  hail  and  snow,  with  dark,  gloomy  weather.  At 
noon,  the  wind  shifted  to  the  northward,  when  it  cleared  up  a 
little,  and  we  saw  the  Prussian  coast  bearing  E.  S.  E.  five  leagues 
distant ;  during  the  remainder  of  this  day  and  through  the  night 
the  winds  were  variable,  and  the  weather  cold  and  stormy 
with  considerable  snow.  My  sailors  were  so  worn  down  with 
fatigue  and  exhaustion,  that  I  removed  the  few  that  were  able 
to  perform  their  duty  into  the  cabin,  and  allowed  the  sick  and 
disabled  ones  to  remain  shut  up  below  in  the  forecastle  du- 
ring the  remainder  of  the  passage.     I  daily   supplied  them 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA.  93 

with  such  food  and  nourishment  as  I  could  procure,  under  the 
circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed. 

The  14th  commenced  with  strong  gales  from  the  N.  E., 
with  violent  squalls  of  hail  and  snow,  and  much  sea ;  in  the 
afternoon  of  this  day  saw  the  Prussian  coast  again,  bearing  S. 
S.  E.  about  twelve  miles  distant ;  the  wind  a  little  more  mod- 
erate, but  the  weather  dark  and  cold,  with  squalls  of  snow ; 
found  it  necessary  to  take  the  main  and  flying  jibs  into  the 
cabin  to  repair ;  about  midnight  the  wind  shifted  to  the  N. 
N.  W. 

On  the  15th  and  16th  of  November,  we  had  a  continuation 
of  gales  from  almost  every  point  of  the  compass,  with  cold, 
snowy  weather  ;  I  continued  to  beat  to  the  eastward  to  get  into 
the  Gulf  of  Livonia  ;  at  noon  on  the  16th,  made  Windau 
Church,  bearing  N.  E.  twelve  miles  distant,  when  the  weather 
cleared  up  so  as  to  enable  me  to  get  an  observation  of  the  sun. 
I  found  our  latitude  to  be  57°  16'  north,  and  the  longitude  22° 
30'  east  of  London. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  able  to  get  the  sun's  alti- 
tude at  noon,  since  we  left  Carlsham.  On  the  17th,  the 
weather  was  a  little  better ;  the  wind  being  at  S.  E.  it  became 
clear  and  comparatively  pleasant ;  at  1  P.  M.  got  abreast  of 
Windau  ;  at  4  ditto  Lyserct ;  bore  south  six  miles  distant. 
At  6  P.  M.  Dagerot  light,  bore  N.  N.  E.  nine  miles  distant.  I 
still  kept  plying  to  windward  to  get  into  the  Gulf  of  Livonia, 
tacking  every  two  or  three  hours  as  we  found  it  necessary. 
Towards  night  the  weather  became  dark  and  gloomy,  with 
strong  'gales  at  E.  S.  E.,  double-reefed  the  lower  sails  and 
handed  the  topsail.  At  6  P.  M.  sounded  in  five  fathoms  of 
water,  strong  gales  at  E.  S.  E.  during  the  night  with  much  snow, 
and  very  thick  weather.  The  18th  commenced  with  a  continu- 
ation of  the  same  easterly  gales  and  snowy  weather,  with  a 
short,  bad  sea  running.  At  2  P.  M.  Domcncss  lights  bore  S.  E. 
by  S.  four  miles  distant.  I  saw  a  brig  and  a  galliot  lying  at  an- 
chor under  the  lee  of  Domeness  Point ;  we  still  continued  to  ply 
to  windward,  tacking  every  two  hours.     At  8  P.  M.,  Domeness 


9-i  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

light  bore  S.  W.  eight  miles  distant.  During  the  night  we  had 
strong  gales  at  E.  S.  E.  with  sleet  and  snow,  and  dark  gloomy- 
weather.  The  19th  commenced  with  fresh  gales  at  S.  E. 
with  snowy  weather ;  at  6  in  the  afternoon,  we  made  Runo 
light,  bearing  S.  E.  three  miles  distant ;  sounded  in  four 
fathoms  of  water.  During  the  night  we  had  light  winds  from 
the  southward,  and  very  cold  weather  ;  at  this  time  we  had 
much  ice  on  deck  and  about,  the  sails  and  rigging.  At  2  A. 
M.  we  came  to  anchor  in  seven  fathoms  of  water,  where  we 
lay  until  daylight,  viz.  at  7  o'clock  ;  we  then  weighed  anchor 
and  made  sail  with  a  light  breeze  from  the  S.  S.  E.,  and  com- 
menced beating  up  the  Gulf  to  gain  our  port  of  destination. 
November  the  20th,  the  first  part  of  this  day  we  had  fresh 
breezes  from  the  S.  S.  W.,  and  foggy  weather  with  a  little  rain. 
At  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  got  off  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Dwina ;  here  we  took  a  pilot,  and  in  half  an  hour  afterwards 
came  to  anohor  at  the  Boldera,  after  a  passage  of  nine  days 
from  Carlsham,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  boisterous  and 
disagreeable  I  ever  made.  Two  days  after  I  arrived  here,  on 
the  22d  of  this  present  month,  the  harbor  at  the  Boldera  was 
entirely  closed,  so  much  so,  that  I  walked  around  my  vessel 
on  the  ice  with  perfect  safety.  In  our  case,  a  kind  Providence 
seemed  to  guide  and  protect  us  during  the  whole  of  this  long 
and  arduous  voyage.  Had  I  been  two  days  later,  I  could  not  have 
entered  the  river  Dwina,  but  should  have  inevitably  been 
frozen  up  for  the  winter,  in  the  Gulf  of  Livonia. 

All  the  papers  appertaining  to  the  schooner  Eliza  and  her 
cargo,  were  forthwith  sent  up  to  St.  Petersburg,  for  investiga- 
tion. I  found  lying  in  this  port  eight  American  vessels  ;  the 
most  of  them  had  arrived  here  in  September  and  October  • 
their  papers  had  all  been  sent  up  to  St.  Petersburg  for  examin- 
ation, in  fact  I  may  say  we  were  all  under  a  kind  of  seques- 
tration, and  unable  to  discharge  or  dispose  of  our  cargoes.  I 
also  learned  that  a  great  many  American  ships  had  been  taken 
and  sent  into  different  places,  some  to  Stralsund  and  Callem- 
burg  and  others  into  different  ports  higher  up  the  Baltic.     The 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER   ELIZA.  95 

ship  Atlantic,  of  New- York,  left  Gottonburg  under  the  same 
convoy  with  myself,  and  after  getting  through  the  Belt  was 
captured  by  a  French  privateer  and  sent  into  Dantzic.  There 
were  also  several  other  American  vessels,  whose  names  I  do 
not  recollect,  sent  into  the  same  port.  The  petty  othccrs  and 
crews  of  these  vessels,  I  was  told,  were  lashed  two  and  two 
and  marched  on  foot  by  the  French  to  Antwerp.  The  cap- 
tains and  supercargoes  alone,  were  allowed  to  remain  behind  ; 
so  much  for  French  clemency  towards  neutral  nations  in  1810, 
under  the  iron  rule  of  "  Le  grand  Empereur,"  and  his  preto- 
rians.  The  whole  number  of  American  vessels  that  wintered 
in  Russia,  in  the  winters  of  1810  and  1811,  were  twenty-three. 
One  in  Liebau,  eight  in  Riga,  and  fourteen  in  Revel,  and  other 
ports  in  the  Gulf  of  Finland.  Thus  after  Bonaparte,  with 
his  continental  system,  had  driven  trade  and  commerce  in  a 
great  measure  from  almost  all  Europe,  he  appeared  determined 
to  force  Russia  into  the  same  political  policy ;  and  when  the 
property  of  neutral  nations  was  no  longer  respected  in  Southern 
and  Western  Europe,  but  on  the  contrary  was  seized  and  con- 
demned with  impunity,  it  became  necessary  to  go  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  grasp  of  his  military  power,  and  seek  a  mar- 
ket in  the  high  northern  regions.  Even  here,  among  the  ice 
and  snow,  we  did  not  feel  quite  safe  from  his  powerful  influ- 
ence ;  it  therefore,  became  necessary  for  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
to  disguise  his  intentions  and  keep  up  a  show  of  compliance  to 
the  views  of  France,  while  preparing  for  the  grand  struggle  to 
resist  the  mighty  power  of  his  adversary.  These  considera- 
tions in  my  mind  were  sufficient  to  allay  any  unpleasant  feel- 
ings growing  out  of  the  long  delay  of  getting  our  papers  from 
St.  Petersburg.  Here  it  was  easy  to  see  that  a  great  storm  was 
gathering  in  the  political  atmosphere.  All  this  winter,  the 
Russians  were  sledging  down  cannon  from  the  interior  to  the 
frontier  towns,  and  making  every  preparation  for  the  conflict, 
with  as  little  noise  and  bustle  as  possible. 

When  I  reflect  on  the  character  and  conduct  of  Bonaparte 
at  this  period,  it  forcibly  reminds  me  of  Ilaman  of  old,  when 


96  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER   ELIZA. 

he  exclaimed,  "  All  this  availeth  me  nothing,  so  long  as  I  see 
Mordecai,   the   Jew,  sitting  at   the  king's  gate."     Bonaparte 
probably  said  to  himself,  What  advantage  have  I  gained  in  the 
conquest  of  Europe,  except  I  can  compel  Alexander  to  comply 
with  my  measures  and  policy,  and  be  subject  to  my  dicta- 
tion ;  I  will  therefore  convince  him  that  my  armies  are  invinci- 
ble, and  will  soon  humble  his  pride ;  but  before  I  strike  the 
final  blow,  I  will  endeavor  to  delude  him  by  my  adroit  diplo- 
macy.    This  he  forthwith  tried  to  accompHsh.     He  sent  to 
the   court  of  St.    Petersburg  one  of  his   most   talented  an 
cunning  diplomatic  men,  in  the  person  of  Marshal  Caulain 
court,  to  deceive  him  and  throw  him  off  his  guard  with  respect 
to  his  real  intentions  ;  he  also  sent  to  beguile  and  amuse  him 
the  best  dramatic  actors  and  actresses  in  France,  and  when 
he  found  that  stratagem  and  intrigue  did  not  accomplish  his 
purpose,  he  decided  on  taking  such  a  powerful  army  as  should 
enable  him   to  crush  his  enemy  in  one  campaign ;  but  now 
mark  the  signal  failure  of  the  plans  of  this  ambitious  man, 
this  spoiled  child  of  Fortune,  who  would  not  take  the  advice 
of  his  old  marshals  and  true  friends  to  winter  in  Poland,  and 
then  open  the  campaign  early  in  the  spring.     No,  his  haughty 
ambition  and  thirst  for  conquest  impelled  him  to  rush  blindly 
on  to  his  own  ruin. 

We  Americans  had  every  reason  to  rejoice  that  we  had  at 
this  time  the  talented  and  accomplished  John  Q,uincy  Adams, 
for  our  ambassador  at  the  Court  of  St.  Petersburg.  He  was 
always  watchful  for  the  interest  and  honor  of  his  country,  and 
ever  ready  to  assist  his  countrymen  at  home  and  abroad.  I 
have  no  doubt  he  was  essentially  useful  in  our  commercial 
relations  with  Russia  at  this  trying  period.  I  felt  grateful  to 
him  during  his  life,  and  will,  so  long  as  I  live,  cherish  and 
revere  his  memory. 

Boldera  is  a  small  town  about  eight  or  nine  miles  below 
Riga,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Dwina,  and  is  in  fact  the  port  of 
Riga.  At  this  place  there  were  many  cheap  houses,  built  ex- 
pressly to  rent  to  the  ship-masters  that  winter  here,  to  shelter 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN   THE  SCHOONEK  ELIZA.  97 

their  mates  and  crews  from  the  severity  of  this  chmate,  it 
being  always  too  cold  to  live  on  shipboard.  These  houses 
were  in  a  line  at  a  convenient  distance  from  each  other  ;  and 
thus  each  American  captain  in  port  hired  one  for  their  mates 
and  seamen,  at  a  rent  of  ten  dollars  per  month ;  and  were 
tolerably  well  built,  and  as  firewood  was  plenty  and  cheap, 
they  were  comfortable  residences  for  the  winter.  We  unbent 
our  sails  and  stripped  the  masts  of  all  the  rigging,  and  in  a 
warm  and  comfortable  room  by  the  side  of  a  large  fire,  my 
mate  and  sailors  overhauled  the  rigging,  repaired  all  the  old, 
and  made  an  entire  new  suit  of  sails  during  the  winter.  The 
sailors  gave  names  to  these  houses  according  to  their  own 
fancy,  sometimes  after  their  ship  or  vessel ;  others  were  called 
New- York,  Boston,  or  Salem,  corresponding  to  the  places  where 
they  belonged ;  and  after  the  labor  of  the  day,  they  would 
visit  their  respective  neighbors  at  New- York,  Boston,  or  Salem, 
and  as  there  was  no  want  of  female  society  among  the  lower 
classes,  balls  and  dances  were  very  frequent.  The  mates  and 
petty  officers  also  enjoyed  the  society  of  each  other,  and  in 
this  manner  contrived  to  spend  their  time  pleasantly  during 
the  long,  cold  evenings  in  this  dreary  climate.  During  the 
winter  provisions  and  breadstiiffs  were  very  cheap,  so  that  we 
were  able  to  support  our  crews  at  a  very  moderate  expense. 
The  peasants  brought  to  this  city  in  sledges,  from  Ijivonia 
and  Poland,  all  kinds  of  wild  game  and  slaughtered  domestic 
animals,  frozen  to  such  a  degree,  that  if  necessary  they  could 
be  kept  for  months.  The  most  of  these  articles  were,  of 
course,  badly  dressed,  and  had  sometimes  a  disgusting  appear- 
ance, having  been  killed  and  brought  to  market  by  these  rude 
and  half  savage  people — for  example,  the  liogs  had  their 
throats  cut  and  the  hair  partly  singed  off,  but  when  our  sailors 
had  scalded  and  redressed  them,  they  were  good  and  whole- 
some food.  The  captains  and  supercargoes  resided  in  Riga.  I 
hired  very  comfortable  apartments  in  company  with  Captain 
William  Colwell,  of  the  ship  Venus  of  Boston,  at  a  reasonable 
rate,  we  also  hired  a  man  with  a  horse  and  sleigh  to  attend  us 


98  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

by  night  and  day,  at  the  low  rate  of  eight  dollars  per  month ; 
and  as  the  river  was  frozen  some  two  or  three  feet  thick, 
there  was  an  excellent  road  for  sleighs  on  the  ice  from  the 
town  to  the  ships  at  the  Boldera,  so  that  in  a  very  short  time 
we  could  visit  our  vessels  whenever  it  became  necessary. 
About  the  first  of  December,  one  of  my  owners,  Mr.  J.  M., 
arrived  here  from  Copenhagen,  and  appointed  as  our  commis- 
sion house  or  commercial  agents,  Messrs.  Joach,  Ebel,  Schmidt 
<fc  Co.,  and  then  proceeded  to  St.  Petersburg  to  get  the  vessel 
and  cargo  clear  of  sequestration,  and  also  to  dispose  of  our 
merchandise.  After  a  delay  of  seven  or  eight  weeks,  the 
government  at  St.  Petersburg  allowed  us  to  discharge.  All  our 
goods  were  taken  from  the  vessel  into  one-horse  sledges,  and 
from  thence  transported  directly  to  the  custom-house,  and 
from  there,  after  being  inspected,  were  forwarded  to  St.  Peters- 
burg and  other  large  towns  in  the  interior.  The  sugars  and 
other  articles  composing  our  cargo,  were  sold  at  the  capital  at 
very  high  prices. 

The  expense  for  transporting  goods  over  this  extensive 
empire  in  the  winter  season,  was  extremely  low  ;  I  will  not 
quote  prices,  for  fear  of  making  some  mistake,  but  will  state 
the  common  mode  of  conveying  goods  to  and  from  this  city 
to  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow.  Thus,  twenty  or  thirty  one- 
horse  sledges  are  loaded  and  secured,  when  one  man  and  a 
boy  take  charge  of  the  whole  caravan  ;  the  man  rides  and 
drives  the  leading  horse,  all  the  others  follow  in  a  direct  line, 
while  the  boy  brings  up  the  rear,  and  so  tliey  follow  one  another 
by  night  and  day ;  the  drivers  clothed  in  sheepskins  and  nestled 
in  straw.  They  traverse  the  wide  and  wild  regions  of  this 
vast  empire  with  perfect  safety  ;  the  price  of  horned  cattle  and 
horses  is  extremely  low,  while  the  wages  of  the  peasants  and 
working  classes  are  merely  nominal  ;  consequently,  the  trans- 
portation of  goods  from  ])lace  to  place,  even  at  a  great  distance, 
must  be  very  reasonable.  Iviga  is  the  capital  city  of  the  pro- 
vince of  liivonia  ;  it  lies  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  Dwina, 
and  about  nine  miles  from  its  mouth,  in  lat.  56°  57'  N.,  long. 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA.  99 

24°  4'  E.  It  contains  about  50,000  inhabitants  including  the 
garrison,  which  generally  numbers  about  eight  or  ten  thou- 
sand. It  is  a  very  ancient  town,  and  was  formerly  strongly 
fortified.  The  walls  around  the  old  city  are  still  in  good  repair, 
but  its  inhabitants  have  so  increased  and  spread  aromid  ;  that 
the  suburbs  are  more  extensive  and  contain  more  souls  than 
the  city  itself.  It  is  a  great  place  for  trade  and  commerce,  there 
are  from  1,000  to  1,500  ships  entered  and  cleared  at  this  place 
annually ;  their  principal  exports  arc  manufactured  goods 
from  Moscow ;  wheat,  flax,  tallow,  flaxseed,  hemp,  and  iron, 
besides  timber,  masts,  deal  boards  and  hides,  brought  down 
the  river  from  Poland. 

Its  public  buildings  are  many  of  them  large  and  well  con- 
structed ;  the  cathedral  is  very  ancient,  its  tower  is  440  feet  in 
height,  from  which  there  is  a  magnificent  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  town  house,  exchange  and  arsenal, 
are  built  of  massive  stone,  and  are  substantial,  and  well 
adapted  to  this  climate.  There  is  also  a  tolerable  theatre, 
which,  in  the  winter,  is  very  well  supported  ;  the  principal 
merchants  are  Germans ;  the  shopkeepers  and  petty  dealers 
are  generally  Russians,  and  though  the  language  of  the  coun- 
try is  Russ,  still  German,  English,  and  French  are  spoken  by 
all  the  upper  or  educated  classes.  The  Rigarians  may  be 
justly  called  a  gay,  social  people ;  during  the  winter  months 
they  have  frequent  supper  parties,  masked  and  fancy  balls, 
and  contrive  in  this  way  to  beguile  their  long  and  dreary  win- 
ters. 

Although  the  cold  is  intense,  there  appears  to  be  little  or 
no  suffering  ;  their  houses  are  well  adapted  to  the  climate,  be- 
ing thick  and  strong,  with  double  windows,  to  keep  out  the 
frost.  Firewood  is  abundant  and  cheap  in  this  part  of  Russia, 
so  that  all  are  enabled  to  partake  of  this  blessing  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree.  An  individual  in  this  country  is  generally  recog- 
nized, that  is  to  say,  his  rank  and  standing  in  society  acknow- 
ledged, by  the  fineness  of  his  furs ;  for  example,  the  emperor 
and  the  higher  order  of  nobility  are  wrapped  in  sable,  ermine, 
and  other  costly  furs,  and  so  the  quality  and  price  gradually 


100  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

descend  through  all  classes,  even  down  to  the  poor  serf  or  com- 
mon peasant,  who  is  clothed  in  sheepskin. 

(In  Holland,  a  person  is  known  by  the  size  of  his  pipe  ;  for 
instance,  a  burgomaster  has  a  large  silver-mounted  pipe,  while 
the  poorer  classes  are  contented  with  small  ones  of  less 
value.) 

The  winters  in  this  part  of  Russia  are  altogether  different 
from  those  in  New- York  and  the  northern  States,  where  they 
are  extremely  variable,  sometimes  very  cold,  and  others  com- 
paratively mild — subject  to  violent  storms,  and  inconstant, 
changeable  weather  ;  thus,  to-day  the  sleighing  may  be  very 
good,  and  to-morrov\^  the  snow  may  all  be  melted,  so  that  the 
weather  is  ever  varying. 

Not  so  in  this  region.  When  the  winter  fairly  sets  in,  which 
is  generally  about  the  middle  of  November,  the  ground  is  soon 
covered  with  snow  to  tlie  depth  of  two  or  three  feet,  and 
though  the  air  is  clear,  cold  and  bracing,  it  is  still  easy  to  re- 
spire. 

The  Fahrenheit  thermometer  is  generally  down  to  zero, 
and  often  falls  eighteen  or  twenty  degrees  below  it ;  the  rivers 
are  frozen  to  the  thickness  of  three  or  four  feet,  and  remain  so 
during  the  whole  winter.  There  are  no  storms  or  violent 
gales,  the  sky  is  clear,  and  the  heavenly  bodies  are  bright  and 
dazzling.  The  days  are  short,  and  generally  whirled  away  in 
business  or  pleasure,  and  in  preparing  for  more  active  employ- 
ment at  the  opening  of  the  spring.  I  was  told  that  it  was  a 
standing  order  of  the  government  to  remove  the  sentries  from 
all  military  posts,  when  the  thermometer  was  as  low  as  eigh- 
teen degrees  ;  anterior  to  this  regulation,  sentinels  were  some- 
times found  frozen  to  death,  standing  bolt  upright  at  their 
posts. 

To  strangers  and  people  of  distinction,  the  elite  of  Riga  are 
very  hospitable.  During  tlie  greater  part  of  the  winter,  there  were 
here  eight  or  ten  American  captains  and  supercargoes,  and  we 
were  generally  social  and  friendly,  giving  occasionally  supper 
and  whist  parties  ;  tliesc  were  pleasant  and  not  expensive  meet- 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER   ELIZA.  101 

ings.  Some  few,  however,  of  the  supercargoes,  preferred  visiting 
the  famihes  of  the  rich  merchants,  where,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  in 
some  of  them  gambUng  was  introduced,  and  sometimes  the  par- 
ties would  play  very  deep,  and  even  the  ladies  would  not  refuse 
to  join  in  this  dangerous  practice,  so  destructive  to  good 
morals.  One  of  our  number,  the  supercargo  of  the  ship  V.,  a 
handsome  young  gentleman  of  about  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
became  very  fond  of  betting  and  playing,  and  for  several  eve- 
nings was  very  successful,  often  boasting  how  many  thousand 
rubles  he  had  gained  the  last  night,  and  appeared  very  much 
elated  with  his  success.  I  frequently  remonstrated  with  him 
on  the  subject,  told  him  of  his  youth  and  inexperience,  and  of 
the  sad  consequences  of  this  alluring  passion,  which  had  ru- 
ined thousands  older  than  him ;  his  reply  was,  "  Although  I 
am  young,  1  still  know  how  to  govern  and  take  care  of  my- 
self" Some  weeks  after  this  the  young  man  became  sullen, 
and  very  low  spirited,  and  would  often  remark  that  life  was 
not  worth  possessing,  and  that  he  had  rather  die  than  live.  I 
feared  that  all  was  not  right  with  him,  and  endeavored  to  di- 
vert his  mind  from  dwelling  on  the  dark  side  of  life,  but  all  to 
no  purpose  ;  he  grew  more  discontented  with  himself,  and 
every  body  else,  and  finally  shut  himself  up  in  his  own  room, 
and  with  a  pistol  blew  out  his  brains.  After  this  melancholy 
catastrophe,  it  was  found  that  he  had  gambled  away  the 
greater  part  of  the  cargo  intrusted  to  his  management.  I  have 
entered  minutely  into  this  sad  story,  in  hopes  that  if  it  should 
ever  meet  the  eyes  of  young  gentlemen,  it  may  serve  as  a 
warning  to  them  to  avoid  the  baneful  practice  of  gaming. 

In  the  course  of  the  winter  there  was  a  similar  case  of  sui- 
cide in  this  city.  A  young  German  gentleman,  cashier  to  one 
of  the  principal  mercantile  houses,  had  taken  a  considerable 
sum  of  his  employer's  money ;  the  merchant,  though  de- 
frauded by  the  young  man,  was  persuaded,  through  the 
anxious  solicitations  of  his  mother,  to  retain  him  in  his  count- 
ing otfice ;  and  though  he  could  no  longer  trust  him  in  charge 
of  the  cash,  still,  to  gratify  her,  he  was  willing  to  retain  him 


102  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

in  his  employ  in  a  less  responsible  situation.  The  young 
gentleman  remained,  a  few-  weeks  in  a  subordinate  capacity, 
but  was  so  wounded  and  mortified  at  the  loss  of  reputation, 
that  he  soon  put  an  end  to  his  heretofore  valuable  life.  I  knew 
him  personally,  and  record  with  deep  regret  his  untimely  end, 
caused  by  the  abominable  vice  of  gambling.  He  was  an  ami- 
able young  man,  and  had  a  mother  and  two  sisters  almost  en- 
tirely dependent  upon  him  for  support.  This  young  gentleman 
had  many  influential  friends,  and  bore  an  excellent  character, 
until  led  imperceptibly  into  the  habit  of  gambling,  not  indeed 
at  gaming-houses,  among  the  low  and  abandoned,  but  with 
gentlemen  and  ladies.  I  wish  not  to  be  too  severe  against  the 
elite  of  this  hospitable  city,  and  if  I  have  been  wrongly  in- 
formed on  the  subject,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  attributed  to  any 
ill-will  or  pique  against  them ;  but  if  I  am  right,  I  trust,  ere 
this,  there  has  been  a  radical  reform,  and  that  the  respectable 
part  of  the  community  have  set  their  faces  against  that  terri- 
ble vice,  which  leads  to  every  moral  and  religious  delinquency. 
I  believe  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  field  of  battle,  there  is 
nothing  so  exciting  and  seducing  as  the  gaming-table. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  February  we  began  to  ballast 
the  Eliza  with  a  quantity  of  iron  in  bars,  and  80  casks  of  tal- 
low, each  containing  about  900  pounds,  net  weight ;  we  also 
took  on  board  some  few  tons  of  hemp,  and  got  ready  to  receive 
the  manufactured  goods  whenever  they  should  arrive  from  St. 
Petersburg.  During  my  stay  here,  I  disposed  of  all  my  pri- 
vate adventure  in  this  city,  except  about  40  boxes  of  Havana 
segars,  which  I  sent  by  land  to  Libau,  where  they  were  sold 
at  a  great  profit.  I  had  much  leisure  time  here,  and  was  en- 
abled to  select  and  purchase  manufactured  articles,  such  as 
linens,  duck,  etc.,  etc.,  at  very  reasonable  prices.  The  amount 
thus  invested  in  goods  of  different  descriptions,  at  sailing,  was 
fifteen  hundred  dollars.  My  friend,  Mr.  J.  M.,  remained  at  St. 
Petersburg  nearly  all  the  winter,  where  he  purchased  the 
greater  part  of  our  return  cargo,  which  consisted  principally  of 
sheetings,  drillings,  diapers,  canvas,  ravens'  duck,  etc.,  etc., 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA.  103 

all  packed  up  in  bales,  with  many  coverings  of  cloth  and  mats 
to  secure  them  against  damage  from  exposure  on  the  road. 
Through  the  months  of  March  and  April,  as  the  goods 
arrived,  they  were  sent  on  board  and  stowed  away.  The 
river  began  to  break  up  about  the  lOth  of  April,  and  some 
ships  arrived  on  the  24th.  I  was  informed  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Riga,  that  the  river  and  harbor  at  Boldera  were  open  much 
earlier  than  usual ;  commonly  there  were  no  arrivals  until  the 
middle  of  May,  and  often  as  late  as  the  first  of  June. 

We  finished  loading  the  Ehza  on  the  fifteenth  of  May.  set- 
tled all  our  bills,  and  got  ready  for  sea.  Our  little  schooner 
was  in  fine  order,  with  an  abundance  of  new  rigging,  and  an 
entire  new  suit  of  sails.  I  understood  from  Mr.  J.  M.,  that  the 
whole  cost  of  our  return  cargo  was  $45,000  ;  and  after  lying 
in  this  port  six  months  and  four  days,  we  sailed  out  of  the 
Dwina  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  May,  1811,  bound  to  NeW- 
York.  We  soon  discharged  our  pilot,  and  stood  off  shore,  with 
light,  variable  winds,  and  clear,  pleasant  weather. 

Latitude,  by  observation  at  meridian,  57°  21'  north. 

In  two  days  after  leaving  Riga,  I  got  out  of  the  Gulf  of  Li- 
vonia, and  steered  down  the  Baltic,  with  light  and  variable 
winds  and  very  fine  weather.  It  is  delightful  to  navigate  this 
sea  in  the  long  days  of  summer,  when  the  sun  doos  not  leave 
the  horizon  until  after  nine  o'clock,  and  when  the  twilight 
continues  so  long  and  bright,  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  read  a 
book  of  ordinary  sized  type  at  midnight.  Strong  gales  at  this 
season  of  the  year  are  of  rare  occurrence,  consequently  the  sea 
is  generally  smooth  and  tranquil. 

After  getting  out  of  the  Gulf  of  Livonia,  I  ran  over  to  the 
Swedish  coast,  to  avoid  meeting  French  or  Danish  privateers, 
that  had  in  some  instances  ventured  out  and  made  short 
cruises  from  Dantzig,  and  some  other  ports  in  Prussia. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  I  passed  near  a  fleet  of  about  fifty  sail 
of  merchant  ships,  standing  up  the  Baltic,  under  convoy  of  a 
British  frigate  and  two  sloops-of-war. 

June  1st,  at  noon,  came  to  anchor  at  Hano,  in  eleven  fathoms 


104  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

of  water,  after  a  pleasant  passage  of  five  days  from  Riga.  Hano 
is  a  small  island  on  the  coast  of  Sweden,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Carlsham  ;  between  this  island  and  the  main  land  there  is 
good,  safe  anchorage — the  entrance  being  open,  and  of  easy- 
access.  These  circumstances,  and  its  favorable  position,  make 
it  a  great  rendezvous  for  the  English  men-of-war ;  here  they 
lie  until  a  sufficient  number  of  merchant  ships  have  collected, 
when  the  admiral  sends  a  frigate  or  two  to  convoy  them 
through  the  Belt  and  Cattegat  to  Gottenburg,  When  I  arrived, 
I  found  about  20  sail  waiting  convoy,  and  after  lying  here  eight 
days,  the  number  had  augmented  to  about  50  ;  and  on  the  9th 
of  June  we  left  Hano,  under  the  protection  of  a  frigate  and 
two  sloops-of-war,  and  soon  got  into  the  Great  Belt,  where  we 
saw  lying  at  anchor  the  Vigo  seventy-four.  Admiral  Dixon, 
and  several  frigates  and  sloops-of-war.  At  this  season  of  the 
year,  the  men-of-war  can  anchor  with  perfect  safety  in  almost 
any  part  of  this  passage.  On  the  10th  of  Jane  an  American 
captain  gave  me  a  list  of  20  sail  of  American  ships  and  vessels 
lying  in  Gottenburg  and  the  Great  Belt,  all  bound  to  St.  Peters- 
burg and  other  parts  of  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  On  the  lOth,  in 
the  afternoon,  the  wind  being  light,  we  came  to  ancl:K)r  in  the 
Belt,  wliere  I  was  boarded  by  the  boats  of  the  Vigo.  I  sold  to 
the  officers  of  this  ship  a  quantity  of  Russian  linen,  diaper,  etc. 
They  were  gentlemanly  men,  and  paid  liberally  for  all  they 
purchased.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  light  breeze 
sprung  up  from  the  southward,  and  we  got  under  way.  We 
met  with  light  winds  and  calms  for  several  days,  and  made 
but  slow  progress,  lying  by  at  night,  when  the  winds  were 
contrary,  and  were  thus  detained  until  the  17th  of  June,  when 
we  arrived  at  the  outer  harbor  of  Gottenburg,  after  a  passage 
of  eight  days ;  here  wo  filled  up  our  water-casks,  and  replen- 
ished our  sea-stores,  firewood,  etc.,  and  after  waiting  three 
days  for  a  fair  wind,  left  this  port  on  the  21st  of  June  for 
home. 

On  the  23d,  at  five  A.  M.,  saw  the  Naze  of  Norway,  bearing 
north  twelve  leagues  distant — several  sail  in  sight ;  light  winds 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER   ELIZA.  105 

from  the  S.  E.,  and  fine  weather.      Latitude,  by  observation 
at  noon,  57°  42'  north. 

On  the  25th,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  made  North  Ron- 
aldsha,  one  of  the  Orkney  Islands,  bearing  N.  N.  W.  four  miles 
distant ;  at  the  same  time  saw  the  lighthouse  on  Sanda  Island, 
bearing  S.  W.  one  league  distant,  fresh  breezes  at  N.  E.  and 
hazy  weather.  At  meridian,  Mouldhead,  on  Papa  Westra 
Island,  bore  south  thirteen  miles  distant.  Latitude  by  obser- 
vation 59°  34'  north  ;  here  the  variation  of  the  compass  is 
about  two  and  three-fourths  points  westerly.  We  were  now 
only  three  days  from  Gottenburg,  and  had  made  good  progress 
on  our  passage  ;  before  night  we  got  to  the  westward  of  these 
islands,  and  were  once  more  on  the  broad  Atlantic.  Noth- 
ing remarkable  occurred  during  a  period  of  nine  days ;  from 
this  date,  we  had  light  winds  and  fine  weather  until  the 
4th  of  July,  when  we  had  a  strong  gale  from  the  S.  W.  At 
two  A.  M.  hove  to  under  a  three-reefed  foresail ;  at  four 
A.  M.  pitched  away  the  jib-boom  in  the  wake  of  the  cap  ; 
strong  gales  with  a  high  sea  running  during  the  day, 
we  had  unbent  the  main-jib  to  repair  it ;  at  ten  in  the 
morning  the  wind  moderated  a  little,  and  the  sea  was  not 
quite  so  high  as  it  had  been  during  the  night.  At  this  time 
the  mate  and  two  men  were  bending  the  main-jib,  when  the 
vessel  gave  a  violent  pitch,  and  washed  one  of  them  off  the 
bowsprit ;  he  was  an  ordinary  seaman  by  the  name  of  Thomas 
Chatterton  ;  instantly  a  coil  of  rope  was  thrown  over  his  head, 
but  to  no  purpose,  he  was  unable  to  grasp  it.  We  immediately 
got  out  the  boat  though  a  high  sea  was  running,  and  the  poor 
fellow  was  not  twenty  yards  from  the  bows  of  the  schooner ; 
still  he  sunk  to  rise  no  more  before  the  boat  could  reach  him. 
It  was  indeed  a  painful  sight,  thus  to  see  a  fellow-creature 
perish  so  near  the  vessel,  without  being  able  to  save  him. 
Here  is  a  striking  proof  of  the  necessity  of  learning  to  swim  in 
early  life ;  had  this  man  been  able  to  swim,  he  would  in  all 
human  probability  have  been  saved.  This  accident  occurred 
in  latitude  56°  2'  North,  longitude  23"  40'  West. 


106  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  at  midnight,  while  blowing  a  strong 
gale  at  N.  N.  W.,  we  passed  through  a  fleet  of  ships  standing  to  the 
eastward ;  from  this  day  until  the  30th  instant,  we  generally 
had  contrary  winds,  and  made  but  slow  progress  getting  to  the 
westward.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  30th  of  July, 
we  fell  in  with  a  fleet  of  eighty  sail  of  merchant  ships  from 
Jamaica  bound  to  England,  under  convoy  of  two  men-of-war 
brigs  ;  from  one  of  them  a  boat  was  sent  on  board  our  vessel 
for  information  from  Europe.  From  this  period  nothing  occur- 
red worthy  of  remark  until  we  arrived  at  New-York,  on  the 
9th  of  August,  after  a  passage  of  forty-nine  days  from  Gotten- 
burg.  I  was  attached  to  the  schooner  Eliza  on  this  voyage  to 
Russia,  from  the  9th  of  August,  1810,  to  the  15th  of  August, 
1811,  being  a  period  of  twelve  months  and  six  days.  I  made 
a  very  good  voyage  for  my  owners,  and  we  settled  all  our  ac- 
counts to  our  mutual  satisfaction  ;  and  I  am  happy  to  add  that 
I  always  found  Messrs.  Isaac  Moses  &  Sons,  honest  and  hon- 
orable merchants  ;  and  during  a  period  of  eighteen  months, 
that  I  sailed  in  their  employment,  we  never  had  the  slightest 
misunderstanding.  After  the  schooner  Eliza  was  discharged, 
she  was  sold  to  Messrs.  G.  G.  &.  S.  Rowland.  These  gentle- 
men, through  my  recommendation,  gave  the  command  of  her 
to  Mr.  Stephen  Trowbridge,  who  had  been  my  mate  for  the  last 
two  years.  She  was  soon  loaded  and  dispatched  to  some 
port  in  Brazil.  I  returned  home  to  my  native  place,  where  I 
found  my  good  mother  and  sister  well,  and  I  was  rejoiced  to 
meet  them  again  after  so  long  an  absence.  I  had  now  acquired 
a  fair  competency,  and  was  enabled  to  support  them  comforta- 
bly, and  to  keep  my  younger  brothers  at  the  best  school  in 
the  town. 

Here  I  remained  a  few  weeks  with  my  family,  when  my 
friend  and  former  employer,  Archibald  Gracie,  Esq.,  wrote  for 
me  to  retm-n  to  New-York.  He  informed  me  he  was  about 
purchasing  a  new  ship  in  Philadelphia,  and  if  agreeable  to  my 
wishes,  he  would  give  me  the  command  of  her  on  a  voyage  to 
Lisbon.     I  thanked  him  for  the  offer,  and  forthwith  the  busi- 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  ELIZA.  107 

ness  was  settled.  I  knew  him  too  well  to  say  a  single  word 
on  the  subject  of  wages  or  emolument ;  I  preferred  leaving  the 
terms  with  him,  for  he  always  allowed  me  better  pay  than  I 
should  have  dared  to  ask  ;  and  I  am  now  happy  to  speak  of 
this  excellent  man  as  I  have  ever  found  him,  and  to  give  my 
feeble  testimony  to  his  generous  and  noble  qualities.  A  more 
honest,  kind  and  benevolent  man,  never  drew  the  breath  of 
life  ;  open-heartedness  and  candor  were  the  leading  traits  of 
his  character.  As  a  merchant,  he  had  but  few  equals  ;  he  dis- 
pised  all  cunning  and  duplicity,  and  was  in  every  sense  a  just 
and  good  man.  For  many  years  his  house  was  the  seat  of  a 
generous  hospitality,  and  the  poor  never  went  away  empty 
from  his  door.  He  was  indeed  a  father  to  me,  for  when  a  mere 
boy  I  was  mate  of  his  vessels,  and  when  old  enough  to  com- 
mand, he  gave  me  charge  of  his  ship  Virginia,  and  was  now 
about  to  intrust  me  with  the  charge  of  a  valuable  new  ship 
and  cargo. 

I  have  from  time  to  time  in  my  narrative  spoken  of  the 
treatment  of  neutral  nations  by  England  and  France,  and  of 
the  difficulty  of  prosecuting  a  voyage  from  the  United  States 
to  any  part  of  the  world  without  molestation  and  frequent 
capture.  On  the  one  hand,  Bonaparte  was  overrunning  the 
continent  of  Europe,  and  on  the  other,  England  claiming  the 
dominion  of  the  sea  ;  in  fine,  both  of  these  great  powers  ap- 
peared determined  to  destroy  all  neutral  rights,  and  force  the 
other  nations  of  the  earth  to  take  part  in  their  quarrels.  With 
respect  to  the  United  States,  there  was  no  doubt  of  the  inju- 
ries and  persecutions  we  had  received  from  both  of  these  bel- 
ligerent powers  ;  the  only  question  was.  which  of  the  two  have 
done  us  the  greatest  wrong,  and  treated  us  with  the  greatest 
indignity  and  contempt  ?  The  French  robbed  us,  but  still 
treated  us  politely,  while  the  English  affected  to  despise  us, 
and  some  of  their  impudent  newspapers  asserted  that  one 
discharge  of  gunpowder  in  anger,  would  drive  us  all  off  the 
ocean :  we  had  borne  persecution  and  insult  so  long,  that  in 
Europe  it  was  generally  said,  and  became  almost  a  by-word, 


108  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  ELIZA. 

that  the  Americans  had  no  national  pride  or  character,  and 
for  the  sake  of  gain,  they  would  sacrifice  every  principle  of 
honor.  The  peculiar  position  in  which  we  were  placed  with 
regard  to  England  and  France,  engendered  a  malignant  and 
bitter  party  feeling  throughout  the  whole  of  the  United  States. 
The  New  Englanders  accused  the  South  and  West  of  being 
partial  to  France,  while  the  South  called  their  pohtical  oppo- 
nents partisans  of  England  ;  and  thus  by  these  feuds  and  civil 
dissensions,  the  power  of  the  government  was  in  a  measure 
paralyzed ;  still,  something  must  be  done,  and  finally  it  was 
narrowed  down  to  this  simple  question :  "  Shall  we  destroy 
our  ships  and  stay  at  home,  like  the  Chinese  ?  or  assert  our 
rights  at  the  cannon's  mouth  ?"  It  was,  therefore,  evident  to 
every  intelligent  mind,  that  war  was  unavoidable,  and  must 
soon  come. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FIKST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  AMERICA,  FROM  PHILADELPHIA  TO  LIS- 
BON, AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEARS  1811  AND  1S12. 

I  LEFT  New- York  for  Philadelphia,  on  the  29th  of  October. 
At  this  time  there  was  no  public  conveyance  except  by  the 
stage-coach,  all  the  way  by  land.  I  recollect  the  fare  was 
eight  dollars  and  a  half,  and  the  charge  for  two  meals  on  the 
road,  brought  the  expense  of  going  from  New- York  to  Phila- 
delphia, to  about  ten  dollars.  On  my  arrival  at  that  city,  I 
called,  agreeably  to  my  instructions,  on  Messrs.  Welling  & 
Francis,  the  friends  and  agents  of  Messrs,  Archibald  Gracie 
&.  Sons.  They  immediately  placed  me  in  command  of  the 
America.  I  found  her  an  excellently  built  ship,  burden  525 
tons,  quite  new,  but  requiring  new  sails,  boats,  running  rig- 
ging, etc.,  etc. ;  and  as  she  had  been  laid  up  from  the  time  she 
was  launched,  she  of  course  required  a  thorough  calking. 
She  was  built  of  the  best  materials,  and  was  considered  at 
this  time  as  good  a  ship  as  belonged  to  the  port  of  Philadel- 
phia. I  lost  no  time  in  ordering  new  sails,  boats,  etc.  I  em- 
ployed carpenters  and  calkers,  and  in  the  course  of  eight  or 
ten  days  commenced  loading,  and  on  the  23d  of  November  we 
finished.  Our  cargo  consisted  of  5,382  barrels  of  flour,  with 
•  white-oak  staves  for  dunnage.  The  cargo  of  the  America  at 
this  period  was  considered  enormously  large.  Our  crew  was 
composed  of  two  mates,  a  carpenter,  cook,  and  steward,  with 
sixteen  men  and  boys  before  the  mast,  exclusive  of  myself 


110  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  AMERICA. 

and    the    supercargo — the  whole  number  being  twenty-two 
souls. 

We  had  much  trouble  in  getting  the  seamen  on  board, 
many  of  them  being  intoxicated,  and  so  maddened  with  liquor, 
that  they  were  very  riotous  and  abusive  to  the  officers,  and 
also  to  the  pilot,  who,  agreeably  to  my  orders,  took  charge  of 
the  ship  on  the  2Sth  of  November,  to  proceed  down  to  Reedy 
Island,  On  their  way  down,  one  of  the  men  jumped  over- 
board, and  would  inevitably  have  been  lost,  but  for  the  noble 
conduct  of  the  second  mate,  who  leaped  into  the  river  and 
saved  him  from  drowning,  and  after  much  trouble  and  diffi- 
culty, they  finally  got  safe  down  to  the  island.  The  next  day, 
Mr.  Augustus  Fleming  (the  supercargo)  and  myself  went  by 
land  to  Reedy  Island,  and  there  joined  the  ship.  We  found 
the  crew  in  a  very  mutinous  state  ;  they  had  refused  to  obey 
the  ofiicers,  and  swore  they  would  not  weigh  the  anchor  with- 
out more  men,  I  consulted  with  my  supercargo  and  officers  for 
a  few  moments,  and  asked  them  whether  they  would  stand  by 
me,  and  support  my  authority  ;  they  all  agreed  to  do  so,  and 
commenced  arming  themselves,  Mr.  Fleming  and  myself  with 
pistols,  the  carpenter  (a  powerful  man)  with  a  huge  broad-axe, 
the  mates,  pilot,  steward  and  boys  with  crowbars,  clubs,  etc., 
and  thus  the  quarter-deck  was  arrayed  against  the  forecastle. 
We  marched  forward,  myself  at  the  head ;  we  found  them  all 
seated  on  the  forecastle  and  windlass,  when  I  addressed  the 
two  ringleaders,  and  asked  them  the  cause  of  their  disobedi- 
ence ;  they  said  we  were  two  men  short,  and  that  was  the 
reason  of  their  refusing  to  obey.  I  told  them  that  I  was  the 
best  judge  of  the  number  of  men  the  ship  required,  and  in- 
stantly ordered  them  to  take  the  handspikes  and  heave  up  the 
anchor.  It  was  now  evident  that  one  or  the  other  party  must 
yield,  or  an  immediate  conflict  would  ensue.  They  waited 
about  a  minute  for  a  reply,  when  looking  upon  us,  and  then  • 
upon  themselves,  the  ringleader  exclaimed,  "  Come,  boys,  let 
us  give  three  cheers  for  the  America  and  her  captain,  and 
then  go  to  work."     This  was  done  with  enthusiasm  ;  they 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SUIP  AMERICA.  Ill 

then  manned  the  windlass,  hove  up  the  anchor  with  alacrity, 
and  made  sail  on  the  ship  in  good  earnest.     After  the  ship  was 
fairly  under  way,  I  ordered  the  mates  to  go  down  into  the 
forecastle  and  throw  overheard  all  the  liquor  they  could  fmd. 
This  was  done  without  any  resistance,  and  after  these  men 
hecamc  sober,  they  proved  to  be  an  excellent  crew,  and  gave 
me  no  further  trouble  during  the  whole  voyage.     This  case 
and  many  similar  ones  have  convinced  me  that  alcohol  is  the 
bane  of  all  peace  and  concord,  and  should,  if  possible,  be  ban- 
ished from  the  earth,  as  the  most  deadly  enemy  of  the  human 
race.     We  ran  down  the  bay  in  company  with  the  ships  Re- 
becca Sims  and  China  Packet,  the  former  bound  to  Lisbon,  and 
the  latter  to  Gibraltar,  and  although  the  America  was  deep, 
and  drew  18^  feet  water,  she  outsailed  them  both.     When 
nearly  abreast  of  Cape  Henlopen,  on  the  31st  of  October,  I 
imprudently  discharged  the  pilot,  and  soon  after  he  left  us,  the 
ship  struck  on  one  of  the  outer  shoals  several  times,  very  se- 
verely.    I  immediately  took  in  all  the  after  sails,  and  as  we 
had  a  strong  breeze  from  the  N.  N.  W.,  and  the  tide  was  rising, 
she  only  grounded  for  a  few  minutes,  and  was  soon  afloat 
again.     We  had  a  brisk  and  favorable  breeze,  and  soon  lost 
sight  of  the  land.     I  have  minutely  dwelt  on  my  ship's  taking 
the  groiuid,  that  it  may  be  a  warning  to  all  young  captains, 
who  may  chance  to  read  this  narrative,  against  committing 
the  same  error,  that  is  to  say,  in  discharging  their  pilots  too 
soon.     We  generally  had  favorable  winds  and  good  weather 
until  we  made  the  Island  of  Corvo,  on  the  17th  of  November; 
from  this  time  until  the  Stli  of  December,  wc  had  a  continua- 
tion of  boisterous  gales  and  very  bad  weather  until  wc  arrived 
at  Lisbon,  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  after  a  long  passage 
of  38  days.     I  found  the  ships  that  left  New- York  and  Phila- 
delphia about  the  time  I  sailed,  had  had  long  passages  as  well 
as  myself;  the  new  ship  Phoenix  had  forty  days  from  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  R.  Sims  had  not  yet  arrived.     We  met  with  an 
excellent  market  for  our  cargo  of  flour,  which  cost  nine  dollars 
per  barrel,  and  brought  here  fifteen.     Mr.  Fleming  employed 


112  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SHIP   AMERICA. 

H.  T.  Sampayo,  Esq.,  at  this  place,  to  dispose  of  our  cargo,  and 
to  transact  all  the  business  connected  with  the  ship.  Our 
flour  was  all  landed  in  good  order  in  about  a  fortnight.  I  will 
here  take  occasion  to  say,  that  my  supercargo,  Augustus  Flem- 
ing, Esq.,  of  New- York,  was  an  excellent  young  man.  He 
was  brave,  generous,  intelligent,  and  confiding,  and  when  he 
announced  his  intention  to  remain  in  Europe,  and  not  return 
in  the  ship,  I  received  the  intelligence  with  sincere  regret,  for 
I  felt  confident  that  we  could  have  sailed  around  the  world 
together,  without  the  slightest  disagreement.  We  soon  bal- 
lasted the  ship  with  sand,  and  sailed  from  Lisbon  on  the  8th 
of  January,  bound  for  New- York.  I  ran  off"  the  coast  of  Por- 
tugal with  a  fine  fair  wind  and  good  weather,  and  do  not  re- 
collect any  incident  worth  recording  during  this  passage.  "We 
arrived  at  New- York  on  the  10th  of  February,  1812 ;  thirty- 
three  days  from  Lisbon,  thus  making  the  entire  voyage  from 
Philadelphia  to  Lisbon,  and  back  to  New- York,  in  three  and 
a  half  months,  and  I  am  happy  to  add,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
my  owners,  and  all  others  interested  in  the  voyage.  I  was  also 
successful,  my  employers  having  allowed  me  the  privilege  ol 
one  hundred  barrels  of  flour,  liberal  wages,  and  other  perqui- 
sites. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  AMERICA,  FROM  NEW-YORK  TO  LIS- 
BON, AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEAR  1812. 

I  HAD  made  one  voyage  in  this  ship  on  a  single  botton* 
(she  being  quite  new).  It  was  the  desire  of  the  owners  to 
have  her  coppered,  and  dispatched  on  another  voyage  to  Lis- 
bon, as  soon  as  possible.  No  time  was  therefore  lost  in  dis- 
charging the  ballast  and  coppering  the  ship.  My  presence  was 
therefore  necessary,  to  superintend  the  fitting  and  loading  of 
the  America  ;  consequently  I  had  no  leisure  to  visit  my  home 
in  Connecticut ;  and  after  the  necessary  repairs  were  com- 
pleted, we  took  on  board  an  entire  cargo  of  flour  and  Indian 
corn — 3,000  barrels  of  flour,  and  12,000  bushels  of  corn.  I 
sliipped  an  entire  new  crew  of  officers  and  seamen.  The 
name  of  my  chief  mate  was  Charles  M.  Hanstrom ;  he  was 
a  very  religious  man — a  Swede  by  birth — somewhat  advanced 
in  life,  but  still  an  efiicient,  good  officer,  and  bore  an  excellent 
character. 

Thus  manned  and  equipped,  we  sailed  from  New-York  on 
the  29th  of  March — having  been  in  port  but  forty-six  days. 
We  had  a  pleasant  run  off"  the  coast,  and  had  a  fair  prospect 
of  making  a  quick  passage ;  but  after  getting  as  far  east  as 
the  Western  Islands,  we  had  contrary  and  baffling  winds, 
which  impeded  our  progress,  and  made  our  passage  rather 
long,  so  that  we  did  not  arrive  at  Lisbon  until  the  4th  of  May^ 
36  days  from  New- York.  But  what  in  our  case  was  very  re- 
8 


114  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  AMERICA. 

markable  was,  that  our  long  passage  proved  of  vast  advantage 
to  my  owners  ;  for  had  we  arrived  a  fortnight  sooner,  our  cargo 
would  probably  have  been  sold  at  low  prices  ;  but,  as  it  hap- 
pened, it  sold  at  an  enormous  profit,  owing  to  the  United 
States  government  having  laid  an  embargo  on  all  ships  and 
vessels  in  the  United  States,  viz.,  on  the  3d  of  April — three 
days  after  we  left  New- York.  This  act  was  preparatory  to  a 
declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain,  which  occurred  on 
the  18th  of  June,  1812.  This,  of  course,  augmented  the  price 
of  all  kinds  of  provisions  and  breadstulis  ;  so  that  my  entire 
cargo  sold  at  an  immense  profit.  The  flour  brought  $20  per 
barrel,  and  the  Indian  corn  sold  at  $3  the  bushel.  This  is 
not  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  my  short-sighted  ingratitude 
evinced  itself  against  a  beneficent  Providence  ;  for,  during  the 
passage,  I  often  repined  at  my  hard  fate  in  being  so  long  de- 
tained by  contrary  winds.  After  the  cargo  was  discharged,  we 
ballasted  the  ship,  and  got  ready  for  sea.  Our  consignee,  H. 
T.  Sampayo,  Esq.,  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  the  ships 
belonging  to  Messrs.  A.  G.  &  Sons,  which  were  three  in  num- 
ber, besides  a  little  schooner  called  the  John  and  George,  Cap- 
tain Isaacs.  This  little  vessel  was  dispatched  on  the  1st  of 
June  for  New- York.  By  Captain  Isaacs  I  sent  a  piece  of 
linen,  and  some  other  small  articles,  as  a  present  to  my  sister, 
which  unfortunately  never  arrived — Captain  I.  having  been 
captured  by  the  English  on  his  homeward  passage,  was  sent 
into  Halifax  ;  there  his  little  schooner  and  every  thing  on 
board  was  condemned.  Mr.  Sampayo  became  daily  more  and 
more  anxious  and  uneasy  about  Messrs.  Gracie  &.  Sons'  ships. 
To  lay  them  up  here  upon  expense,  would  be  ruinous,  and  to 
send  them  home,  was  a  very  responsible  measure  for  him  to 
take  upon  himself.  The  last  news  from  the  United  States 
was,  that  our  government  had  laid  an  embargo  on  all  Ameri- 
can ships  and  vessels.  How  long  it  would  continue,  none 
could  say,  or  what  would  be  the  next  step  our  government 
would  take.  Our  situation  was  therefore  surrounded  by  diffi- 
culties on  every  side  ;  but,  after  a  few  weeks'  deliberation,  it 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  AMERICA.  115 

was  finally  decided  to  remit  all  the  funds  belonging  to  Messrs. 
Gracie  to  London,  and  send  the  ships  home  in  ballast  the  first 
fair  wind.  There  were  many  other  American  ships  here, 
similarly  situated ;  which  circumstance  created  much  bustle 
and  anxiety  to  get  away.  Many  bets  were  made  by  the 
American  captains  and  supercargoes,  on  the  passages  of  their 
respective  ships. 

Some  of  my  countrymen  imagined  there  would  be  no  war; 
others  thought  they  would  have  sufficient  time  to  get  home 
before  it  would  be  declared.  My  own  opinion  was,  however, 
that  it  was  inevitable.  I  accordingly  decided  not  to  speak  any 
thing,  if  I  could  avoid  it,  and  to  keep  a  little  out  of  the  general 
track  of  homeward-bound  ships.  At  length,  on  the  morning 
of  the  14th  of  .Tune,  we  all  sailed  out  of  the  port  of  Lisbon, 
bound  to  New- York : — the  Eliza  Gracie,  Captain  Rodgers ; 
the  Oronoko,  Captain  J.  Richards ;  and  the  America,  myself 
master:  besides  several  other  American  ships,  in  company 
with  us,  all  bound  to  the  United  States.  At  the  time  of  sail- 
ing, we  had  a  fine,  fresh  breeze  from  the  N.  E.,  and  clear, 
pleasant  weather.  During  the  first  day  out,  there  was  no  ma- 
terial difference  in  the  sailing  of  our  three  ships ;  we  all 
pushed  to  the  westward,  taking  about  the  same  course.  At 
nightfall,  I  edged  the  ship  oft'  a  couple  of  points  to  the  south- 
ward, in  order  to  get  clear  of  the  fleet — wishing  to  pursue  my 
destiny  alone,  whether  for  weal  or  woe — and  at  daylight  the 
next  morning  there  was  nothing  in  sight. 

In  consequence  of  the  great  competition  to  make  the  short- 
est passage,  I  promised  my  officers  a  handsome  present,  as  an 
inducement  to  be  watchful  and  vigilant:  to  the  chief  mate  a 
new  suit  of  clothes,  if  we  beat  the  other  ships,  and  to  the 
second  mate  I  also  promised  a  corresponding  reward.  We 
had  favorable  winds  for  several  days,  and  proceeded  rapidly 
on  our  course,  until  we  reached  latitude  40°  10'  north,  longi- 
tude 32°  west— that  is  to  say,  a  little  west  of  the  Western 
Islands  ;  there  we  met  with  light  airs  and  calms,  which  con- 
tinued for  five  consecutive  days,  and  during  that  time  we  did 


116  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  AMERICA. 

not  make  fifty  miles  distance.  It  was  a  severe  trial  to  me  to 
lie  day  after  day  almost  in  the  same  position,  with  the  sea  as 
smooth  as  a  mirror,  expecting  to  be  beaten  by  the  entire  fleet, 
offend  my  owners,  and  perhaps  to  lose  my  command,  on  my 
return  to  New- York.  In  this  anxious  state  of  mind,  I  used 
often  to  exclaim  against  my  hard  fate.  My  pious  old  mate 
had  always  the  same  mild  answer  to  make  to  all  my  com- 
plaints— "You  may  rely  upon  it,  Captain  C,  that  it  is  all  for 
the  best ;  for  I  have  ever  found  it  so.  Do  not,  therefore,  fret 
or  complain  ;  God  orders  every  thing  in  wisdom,  and  it  will 
eventually  be  for  our  good.''  It  was,  to  me,  strange  philoso- 
phy, that  it  would  be  for  my  interest  to  be  beaten  by  the  other 
ships.  At  the  expiration  of  five  days,  however,  we  took  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  southward,  and  made  good  progress  to  the 
westward.  I  now  steered  for  Nantucket  south  shoal,  where  I 
got  soundings  and  a  good  lunar  observation,  and  thus  ascer- 
tained the  exact  position  of  the  ship,  and  here  I  also  spoke  a 
small  schooner,  bound  to  the  eastward.  The  captain  of  this 
vessel  informed  me,  that  war  existed  between  England  and 
the  United  States,  and  that  it  was  declared  on  the  18th  of 
June,  and  it  was  now  the  15th  of  July.  I  therefore  decided  to 
run  at  once  for  Montauk  Point,  and  pass  through  Long  Island 
Sound.  This  was  in  the  morning,  and  a  strong  breeze  blow- 
ing from  the  S.  E.  I  accordingly  got  near  Montauk  Light 
about  midnight,  when  it  became  nearly  calm,  and  soon  after  a 
hght  breeze  sprung  up  to  the  northward,  directly  off  the  land. 
I  therefore  concluded  it. would  be  dangerous  to  be  in  this  posi- 
tion at  daylight ;  for  if  there  should  be  any  cruisers  off  the 
Point,  I  should  inevitably  be  taken.  Consequently,  I  steered 
close  in  with  the  Southampton  beach,  in  eight  or  nine  fathoms 
of  water,  and  at  daylight  saw  nothing  except  a  few  small 
craft  in  shore.  1  had  no  cargo  or  money  on  board,  except  two 
thousand  Spanish  dollars,  belonging  to  myself — the  avails  of 
my  own  private  adventure.  This  specie  I  put  into  small  bags, 
and  got  one  of  the  boats  ready,  with  a  select  crew,  to  start  for 
the  shore  at  a  moment's  warning.     For  this  service,  I  had  ap- 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  AMERICA.  117 

pointed  Mr.  William  Fitch,  my  second  mate — a  worthy,  confi- 
dential young  man,  whom  I  could  trust,  with  perfect  safety,  to 
manage  this  business.  I  then  pointed  out  our  danger  to  the 
officers  and  men,  and  also  the  course  I  meant  to  pursue.  My 
plan  was,  if  we  met  with  an  English  cruiser,  and  could  not 
avoid  capture,  to  run  the  ship  on  shore,  set  fire  to  her,  and  then 
escape  to  the  land  in  the  two  remaining  boats.  During  the 
whole  of  this  day  we  had  light,  variable  winds,  and  fine  wea- 
ther. We  steered  along  shore,  in  eight  or  nine  fathoms  ot 
water,  and  in  the  afternoon  passed  near  Fire  Island,  where  we 
boarded  a  sloop,  laden  with  wood,  but,  to  our  disappointment^' 
could  get  no  positive  information  about  the  war,  or  whether 
there  were  any  British  cruisers  off  Sandy  Hook.  At  10  P.  M. 
we  got  close  in  with  the  Hook,  where  we  took  a  pilot,  and  soon 
learned  that  nothing  had  been  heard  of  the  Eliza  Gracie  or  the 
Oronoko.  The  next  morning,  July  17th,  we  got  safe  up  to 
New- York,  rejoiced  at  our  good  fortune  in  having  thus  escaped 
the  enemy.  About  a  week  after  our  arrival  we  heard,  with  re- 
gret, that  the  Oronoko  and  Eliza  Gracie  had  both  been  taken 
by  Admiral  Sawyer's  fleet.  They  sent  the  Oronoko  into  Hali- 
fax, and  burned  the  Eliza  Gracie. 

Mr.  Han  Strom,  my  good  old  mate,  continued  to  say,  that 
every  thing  had  come  right,  and  that  the  five  days  calm  wea- 
ther had  saved  us  from  capture.  Upon  examining  the  track 
taken  by  the  Eliza  Gracie  and  Oronoko,  it  appeared  that  diey 
passed  but  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  the  northward  of  us — 
thus  avoiding  the  calm — and  soon  fell  in  with  the  English 
fleet. 

After  paying  off  the  officers  and  men,  I  went  home  to 
Connecticut  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then  returned  to  New-York. 
The  times  were  bad  for  commerce,  many  merchant  ships  had 
been  taken  by  the  enemy,  and  great  numbers  were  laid  up  ; 
some  of  them  had  been  removed  up  the  North  River  as  far  as 
Hudson,  and  others  dismantled  and  laid  up  here.  Although  it 
was  painful  to  see  our  ships  rotting  alongside  the  wliaves, 
still,  in  my  opinion,  it  was  better  and  more  patriotic  than  to 


118  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN"  THE   SHIP  AMERICA. 

submit  any  longer  to  tyrannical  abiise  and  oppression.  The 
recent  heavy  losses  experienced  by  my  owners  were  very  dis- 
couraging, and  on  the  30th  of  July  Mr,  Gracie  gave  me  orders 
to  transport  the  America  up  town,  there  dismantle  and  lay  her 
up.  I  complied  with  his  request,  and  after  having  appointed 
a  ship-keeper,  again  returned  to  the  home  of  my  mother. 
About  the  twentieth  of  August,  while  in  Milford,  we  received 
the  joyful  news  of  the  capture  and  destruction  of  the  British 
frigate  Guerriere,  Captain  Dacres,  by  the  United  States  frigate 
Constitution,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Isaac  Hull. 
♦This  brilliant  action  electrified  the  whole  countrj^,  and  was 
received  as  a  joyous  foreboding  of  good  things  to  come.  This 
was  the  commencement  of  fair  and  open-handed  combat,  and 
had  no  mixture  of  the  crouching  Leopard  in  its  nature  ;  it  was 
brilliant,  it  was  glorious  ! 

And  here  I  cannot  refrain  from  giving  the  following  ex- 
tract from  a  part  of  John  C.  Calhoun's  speech,  addressed 
(June  the  3d,  1S12)  to  Congress : 

"  Before  I  proceed  to  answer  the  gentleman  particularly, 
let  me  call  the  attention  of  the  House  to  one  circumstance  ; 
that  is,  that  almost  the  whole  of  his  arguments  consisted  of 
an  enumeration  of  evils  always  incident  to  war,  however  just 
and  necessary ;  and  that,  if  they  have  any  force,  it  is  calcu- 
lated to  produce  unqualified  submission  to  every  species  of 
insult  and  injury.  I  do  not  feel  myself  bound  to  answer  argu- 
ments of  the  above  description,  and  if  I  should  touch  on  them, 
it  will  only  be  incidentally,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  serious 
refutation.  The  first  argument  of  the  gentleman  which  I 
shall  notice,  is  the  unprepared  state  of  the  country.  What- 
ever weight  this  argument  might  have  in  a  question  of  imme- 
diate war,  it  surely  has  little  in  that  of  preparation  for  it.  If 
our  country  is  unprepared,  let  us  remedy  the  evil  as  soon  as 
possible.  Let  the  gentleman  submit  his  plan ;  and,  if  a 
reasonable  one,  I  doubt  not  it  will  l)e  supported  by  the  House. 
But,  sir,  let  us  admit  the  fact  and  the  whole  force  of  the  argu- 
ment, I  ask  whose  is  the  fault  ?     Who  has  been  a  member  for 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  AMERICA.  119 

many  years  past,  and  has  seen  the  defenceless  state  of  his 
country  even  near  home,  under  his  own  eyes,  without  a  single 
endeavor  to  remedy  so  serious  an  evil  l     Let  him  not  say,  '  I 
have   acted   in   a    minority.'     It   is   no  less  the  duty  of  the 
minority  than  the  majority  to  endeavor  to  serve  our  country. 
For  that  purpose  we  are  sent  here,  and  not  for  that  of  opposi- 
tion.    We  are  next  told  of  the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  that 
the  people  will  not  pay  taxes.     Why  not  ?     Is  it  a  want  of 
capacity?     What !  with  one  million  tons  of  shipping  ;  a  trade 
of  nearly  one  hundred  million  dollars ;  manufactures  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars ;   and  agriculture  of  thrice 
that  amount,  shall  we  be  told  the  country  wants  the  capacity 
to  raise  and  support  ten  thousand  or  fifteen  thousand  additional 
regulars  'I     No,  it  has  the  ability — that  is  admitted  ;  but  will 
it  not  have  the  disposition?     Is  not  the  course  a  just  and  ne- 
cessary one?     Shall  we  then  utter  this  libel  on  the  nation? 
Where  will  proof  be  found  of  a  fact  so  disgraceful?     It  is  said 
in  the  history  of  the  country  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago,  '  The 
case  is  not  parallel.'     The  ability  of  the  country  has  greatly 
increased  since.     The  object  of  that  tax  was  unpopular.     But 
on  this,  so  well  as  my  memory  and  almost  infant  observation 
at  that  time  served  me,  the  objection  was  not  to  the  tax,  or  its 
amount,  but  the  mode  of  collection.     The  eye  of  the  nation 
was  frightened  by  the  number  of  officers  ;  its  love  of  liberty 
shocked  with  the  multiplicity  of  regulations.     We,  in  the  vile 
spirit  of  imitation,  copied   from  the  most  oppressive  part  of 
European  laws  on  that  subject,  and  imposed  on  a  young  and 
virtuous  nation  all  the  severe  provisions  made  necessary  by 
corruption  and  long-growing  chicane.     If  taxes  should  become 
necessary,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  the  people  will  pay  cheer-, 
fully.     It  is  for  their  government  and  their  cause,  and  would 
be  their  interest  and  duty  to  pay.     But  it  may  be,  and  I  be- 
lieve was  said,  that  the  nation  will  not  pay  taxes,  because  the 
rights  violated  are  not  worth  defending ;  or  that  the  defence 
will  cost  more  than  the  profit. 

"  Sir,  I  here  enter  my  solemn  protest  against  this  low  and 


120  SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SHIP  AMERICA. 

'calculating  avarice'  entering  this  hall  of  legislation.  It  is 
only  fit  for  shops  and  counting-houses,  and  ought  not  to  dis- 
grace the  seat  of  sovereignty  by  its  squalid  and  vile  appear- 
ance. Whenever  it  touches  sovereign  power  the  nation  is 
ruined.  It  is  too  short-sighted  to  defend  itself.  It  is  an  un- 
promising spirit,  always  ready  to  yield  a  part  to  save  the 
balance.  It  is  too  timid  to  have  in  itself  the  laws  of  self- 
preservation.  It  is  never  safe  but  under  the  shield  of  honor. 
Sir,  I  only  know  of  one  principle  to  make  a  nation  great,  to 
produce  in  this  country  not  the  form  but  real  spirit  of  union 
and  that  is,  to  protect  every  citizen  in  the  lawful  pursuit  of  his 
business.  He  will  then  feel  that  he  is  backed  by  the  govern- 
ment— that  its  arm  is  his  arms,  and  will  rejoice  in  its  increased 
strength  and  prosperity.  Protection  and  patriotism  are  reci- 
procal. This  is  the  road  that  all  great  nations  have  trod. 
Sir,  I  am  not  versed  in  this  calculating  policy,  and  will  not, 
therefore,  pretend  to  estimate  in  dollars  and  cents  the  value  of 
national  independence  or  national  affection.  I  cannot  dare  to 
measure  in  shillings  and  pence  the  misery,  the  stripes  and 
the  slavery  of  our  impressed  seamen ;  nor  even  to  value  our 
shipping,  commercial,  and  agricultural  losses  under  the  orders 
in  council  and  the  British  system  of  blockade.  I  hope  I  have 
not  condemned  any  prudent  estimate  of  the  means  of  a  country, 
before  it  enters  on  a  war.     This  is  wisdom,  the  other  folly." 

For  this  speech,  and  also  for  his  conduct  as  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  foreign  relations,  where  he  recommended 
our  government  to  declare  war  against  Great  Britain,  he  is 
entitled  to  my  everlasting  gratitude,  and  I  hope  and  trust  that 
every  individual  wlio  has  an  American  heart  will  cherish  and 
revere  his  memory  until  the  latest  posterity.  If  there  ever  was 
a  just  and  holy  war,  it  was  ours  against  Great  Britain  in  1812. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  lEIS,  TO  TENERIFFE,  ST.  THOMAS,  AND 
THE  HAVANA,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YOKK,  IN  THE  YEARS  1818 
AND  1819. 

PRELIMINARY  REMARKS. 

At  this  period  I  owned  a  stanch  and  burthensome  schooner, 
called  the  Catherine ;  she  was  commanded  by  my  brother 
Charles  Coggeshall.  On  the  1st  of  October,  I  chartered  this 
vessel  to  Seiior  Damaso  Burdett,  to  proceed  with  an  assorted 
cargo  out  to  Santa  Crnz,  Teneriffe,  for  a  round  sum  of  four- 
teen hundred  Spanish  dollars ;  in  this  agreement  I  retained 
for  my  own  account  the  privilege  of  all  the  cabin  (which  was 
large).  I  accordingly  purchased  sundry  articles  of  merchan- 
dise and  consigned  them  to  my  brother.  Senor  Burdett,  was 
a  native  of  Teneriffe,  and  a  friend  of  Peter  Harmony,  Esq.,  a 
Spanish  gentleman  and  a  well  known  merchant  residing  in 
New- York.  Though  the  charter  was  made  by  Mr.  B.,  it  was 
guaranteed  by  his  friend,  Mr.  H,  The  cargo  was  composed  of 
Indian  corn,  pine  boards,  whale  oil,  beeswax,  candles,  etc. 
The  whole  invoice  amounted  to  six  thousand  four  hundred 
dollars.  Senor  B.  took  passage  in  the  Catherine,  and  they 
sailed  from  New- York  for  Teneriffe,  on  the  18th  of  October, 
181S. 

Soon  after  I  dispatched  the  Catherine,  I  concluded  to  make 
up  a  little  adventure  with  my  friends,  Messrs.  Lawrence  and 


122  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER   IRIS. 

Betts,  merchants  at  New- York,  and  proceed  forthwith  to  Ten- 
eriffe,  and  there  meet  my  brother,  and  pursue  our  further  oper- 
ations according  to  circumstances,  or  as  fortune  sliould  direct. 
The  Iris  was  a  good  Httle  vessel,  of  eighty  tons  burthen,  and 
was  in  seamen's  phrase,  an  excellent  sea-boat.  One-half  of 
this  schooner  belonged  to  my  friends,  Lawrence  &  Betts,  and 
the  other  half  to  myself.  We  agreed  to  load  her  for  joint  ac- 
coimt,  and  that  I  should  perform  the  voyage  as  captain  and 
supercargo.  We  forthwith  purchased  a  suitable  cargo,  which 
consisted  of  flour,  Indian  corn  in  bags,  whale  oil,  soap,  candles, 
etc.,  and  in  a  few  days  got  ready  for  sea.  The  whole  invoice 
amounted  to  three  thousand  dollars.  My  wife  was  very  much 
opposed  to  my  going  to  sea  in  such  a  small  vessel ;  she  enumera- 
ted the  many  hairbreadth  escapes  I  had  already  experienced, 
and  fervently  entreated  me  to  remain  on  shore,  but  said,  if  1 
persisted  in  going,  she  begged  that  I  would  allow  her  to  go 
with  me,  that  we  might  share  the  dangers  and  perils  of  the 
ocean  together.  At  length  it  was  decided  that  she  should  ac- 
company me. 

I  took  with  me  as  mate,  Mr.  Edward  Brown,  a  Scotchman 
by  birth,  but  a  resident  of  Milford.  He  was  an  excellent  mate 
and  a  first-rate  seaman.  In  the  early  part  of  my  career,  I  had 
served  under  Mr.  B.  in  the  schooner  Betsey  and  Polly,  of  New 
Haven ;  in  that  vessel  he  was  the  chief  mate,  and  I  was  sec- 
ond  mate.  A  better  seaman  than  Mr.  B.  never  trod  a  ship's 
deck.  We  sailed  from  New-Yoik  on  the  15th  of  October, 
passing  through  Long-Island  Sound,  and  out  to  sea  by  Mon- 
tauk  Point.  We  had  a  pretty  good  time  ofl"  the  coast  for  the 
first  three  or  four  days,  after  that  we  experienced  a  strong  S. 
E.  gale  and  a  high  sea,  which  continued  for  about  eighteen  or 
twenty  hours  ;  and  although  the  gale  was  very  severe  and  the 
sea  high  and  rough,  the  little  schooner  made  very  good  weather 
of  it,  and  rode  over  the  billows  like  a  gull  on  the  top  of  every 
sea.  It  certainly  was  an  alarming  spectacle  for  my  wife,  who 
now  for  the  first  time,  had  ventured  on  the  broad  ocean.  How- 
ever, after  the  gale   subsided  wc  had  pleasant  weather  for 


VOYAGE  IK  THE  SCHOONER  IRIS.  123 

a  few  days,  and  Mrs.  Coggeshall  daily  gained  confidence  in 
the  safety  of  the  vessel,  and  soon  became  reconciled  to  the 
temporary  inconvenience  of  living  in  a  small  cabin. 

The  novelty  of  the  scene,  although  at  times  very  terrific, 
had  nevertheless  its  pleasures,  and  then  the  idea  of  visiting 
foreign  lands  far  away  over  the  dark  blue  sea,  was  also  a 
pleasing  theme  to  dwell  upon  ;  and  above  all,  there  was  a 
mysterious  charm  thrown  over  the  anticipated  pleasure  of  be- 
holding the  snowy  peak  of  TenerifTe  towering  far  above  the 
lofty  clouds.  I  say  these  long  cherished  anticipations  a  thou- 
sand times  outweighed  the  inconvenience  of  now  and  then 
eating  a  cold  dinner,  or  a  little  rough  tossing  about  witli  a  high 
head  sea.  And  thus  like  the  ordinary  transactions  of  life  every 
where,  there  are  shades  of  light  and  darkness,  sunshine  and 
rain;  however,  on  one  point  I  believe  all  agree,  viz.,  that  there 
is  no  perfect  bliss  this  side  of  the  grave,  nor  ought  we  to  ex- 
pect it  until  we  reach  Heaven.  And  so  it  was  with  our  pas- 
sage out  to  Teneriffe,  sometimes  fair,  sometimes  foul  weather. 
And  now  to  be  candid  and  drop  all  metaphor,  we  had  what 
seamen  call  a  stormy,  rough  and  tough  passage  of  twenty- 
seven  days,  when  we  arrived  at  Santa  Cruz,  on  the  14th  of 
December.  Here  we  saw  the  Catherine  lying  at  anchor, 
nearly  ready  to  leave  for  New-York. 

About  ten  days  previous  to  our  arrival,  a  schooner  called 
the  Express,  put  in  here  from  Smyrna  laden  with  fruit.  She 
belonged  to  New- York,  and  was  owned  by  Mr.  A.  Leggett, 
merchant  residing  in  that  city.  She  was  commanded  by  a 
Captain  Summers,  was  leaking  badly,  and  so  much  in  distress 
that  the  captain  was  afraid  to  leave  the  island,  and  after  stand- 
ing off  and  on  a  day  or  two,  got  liberty  from  the  Governor  to 
tranship  his  cargo  from  the  Express  to  the  Catherine,  upon 
condition  that  the  two  vessels  should  remain  in  quarantine, 
and  have  no  communication  with  the  shore.  The  quarantine 
laws  here  are  extremely  rigid  with  respect  to  vessels  coming 
from  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  moment  they  commenced 
transhipping  the  fruit,  nothing  could  be  landed  from  either  of 


124  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  IRIS. 

them.  It  so  happened,  however,  that  the  Catherine  had  dis- 
charged her  goods,  and  my  brother  had  agreed  with  Captain 
Alexander  Summers,  to  take  his  cargo,  himself,  and  the  crew 
all  to  New- York,  for  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Captain  S.  was 
to  furnish  himself  and  his  seamen  with  provisions. 

The  Express  was  condemned  as  unseaworthy,  and  some 
days  after  being  discharged,  she  was  driven  on  shore  in  a  gale 
of  wind,  and  soon  went  to  pieces.  I  detained  my  brother  two 
or  three  days  to  take  out  the  money  he  had  on  board,  and  also 
to  give  us  a  little  time  to  get  our  letters  ready  for  home  to  for- 
ward by  him,  there  being  no  other  American  vessel  in  port. 
The  Catherine  sailed  on  the  17th  of  December  from  Santa 
Cruz,  bound  for  New- York.  After  one  day's  quarantine,  we 
were  allowed  to  go  on  shore,  and  as  there  were  no  good  hotels 
or  lodging-houses,  I  hired  a  house  for  my  family,  and  we  took 
up  our  abode  on  shore.  We  found  the  living  simple  and 
cheap  ;  house  rent  in  particular  was  extremely  low.  We  hired 
a  very  large  and  convenient  one  for  twelve  dollars  per  month. 

The  consignee  of  the  Catherine,  Seiior  Burdett,  kindly  in- 
sisted on  furnishing  it  frpm  his  mother's  house,  so  that  with 
what  articles  I  brought  on  shore  from  the  Iris,  and  some  other 
trifling  things  purchased  here,  we  were  soon  comfortably 
established  in  our  new  home.  Seuor  Burdett  was  a  bachelor, 
living  with  his  mother  and  several  sisters,  all  polite,  agreeable 
people. 

Mr.  B.  and  his  sisters  introduced  us  to  several  other  re- 
spectable families,  from  whom  we  received  many  civilities : 
the  kind  hospitality  and  attentions  shown  us  by  these  friendly 
and  polite  people,  rendered  our  stay  at  Santa  Cruz  extremely 
pleasant. 

The  ladies  furnished  my  wife  with  suitable  black  veils 
and  church  costumes,  so  that  she  was  enabled  to  visit  all  the 
principal  churches  and  convents,  without  being  observed  as  a 
stranger.  For  it  is  a  universal  custom  among  the  Spaniards, 
for  the  ladies  to  dress  in  black,  whenever  they  go  to  church. 
During  our  stay  here,  a  little  party  was  made  up  of  ladies  and 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  IRIS.  125 

gentlemen  to  spend  a  day  at  Laguna,  a  considerable  town 
situated  in  the  interior  of  the  island,  about  two  or  three  leagues 
from  Santa  Cruz.  The  roads  are  too  rough  to  admit  of  car- 
riages, so  that  riding  on  horseback  and  upon  donkeys  is  the 
general  mode  of  travelling  on  this  island.  Our  party  consisted 
of  two  or  three  ladies  and  about  the  same  number  of  gentle- 
men ;  each  one  rode  on  a  donkey,  attended  by  a  driver,  with  a 
large  stick,  to  run  on  foot  and  beat  and  drive  the  animal,  and 
attend  to  the  wants  of  the  gentleman  or  lady  under  his  charge. 
While  here,  I  was  told  that  this  class  of  men  were  exceedingly 
faithful  and  trustworthy  ;  and  that  when  a  gentleman  resides 
in  the  country,  and  his  wife  or  child  wishes  to  go  to  town  or 
to  visit  a  neighboring  village,  the  most  perfect  confidence  can 
be  placed  in  one  of  these  men  to  attend  to  and  take  care  of  the 
person  committed  to  his-  charge. 

Thus  mounted,  we  started  after  breakfast  for  Laguna. 
As  it  may  be  supposed,  we  travelled  very  slowly  over  the 
rough  roads,  but  the  weather  was -fine,  and  the  company 
agreeable,  so  that  in  three  or  four  hours  after  leaving  Santa 
Cruz  we  got  safe  up  to  Laguna.  In  this  ancient  town  there 
are  three  churches,  two  convents,  and  several  large  and  well- 
built  houses  ;  I  can  hardly  say  with  any  degree  of  precision 
how  many  inhabitants  it  contains,  but  I  should  judge  some 
two  or  three  thousand.  It  appears  very  quiet,  and  its  stillness 
would  only  suit  persons  fond  of  tranquillity  and  retirement. 
It  is  located  on  very  high  table-land,  and  presents  a  magnifi- 
cent view  of  the  lofty  Peak,  and  other  parts  of  this  singular 
island.  There  is  also  a  fine  view  of  the  broad  ocean,  which 
appears  like  a  great  map  spread  out  at  your  feet ;  even  large 
ships  in  the  offing  appear  on  the  broad  expanse  like  little 
boats.  We  visited  two  of  the  nunneries,  and  I  was  amused 
at  some  of  the  questions  asked  and  answered  by  the  ladies ; 
for  example,  the  abbess,  who  was  verging  towards  the  yellow 
leaf,  inquired  of  Mrs.  C.  whether  she  did  not  think  a  secluded 
life,  shut  up  from  all  temptation  and  wicked  contamination  of 
the  world,  was  not  more  desirable  than  to  live  surromided 


126  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOOXER   IRIS. 

with  indulgence  of  evil  propensities,  which  had  too  often  the 
effect  to  lead  the  mind  and  heart  off  from  holy  penitence  and 
the  high  enjoyment  of  sincere  devotion  to  God.  My  wife 
looked  at  me,  and  answered  the  lady,  that  she  had  made  a  sol- 
emn vow  before  God  and  man  to  be  a  faithful  and  devoted 
wife  to  her  husband,  and  felt  that  death  only  could  dissolve 
the  duty  and  the  sacred  vow  she  had  made.  The  lady  of  the 
convent  reflected  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  replied  with 
great  good  sense  and  liberality,  "You  are  right,  young  lady; 
your  duty  is  to  live  with  your  husband,  and  strive  to  make 
him  happy.  I  also  think  I  am  right  to  live  the  life  I  have 
chosen,  and  hope  we  may  hereafter  meet  in  heaven."  There 
were  a  number  of  other  questions,  mostly  of  this  nature,  asked 
and  answered  by  the  ladies,  in  the  spirit  of  kindness,  all-  of 
which  I  do  not  recollect,  but  1  clearly  remember  they  were  of 
a  religious  character.  We  purchased  a  few  artificial  flowers 
and  some  other  trifles,  and  parted  with  mutual  good  wishes 
for  happiness  both  here  and  hereafter.  After  we  had  visited 
the  principal  churches,  and  walked  about  the  town,  our  little 
party  partook  of  an  excellent  dinner,  and  was  then  ready 
to  return  to  Santa  Cruz.  The  gentlemen  procured  for  each 
lady  an  elegant  bouquet  of  roses,  jessamine,  and  orangQ  flowers, 
and  thus  we  left  the  old  town  of  Laguna  well  pleased  with  our 
visit;  and  as  the  road  was  descending  and  the  declining  day 
soft  and  fine,  we  returned  pleasantly  to  our  homes,  without 
fatigue,  and  at  peace  with  ourselves  and  with  all  the  world.  • 
I  very  much  regretted  that  the  season  of  the  year  would 
not  admit  of  our  visiting  the  peak ;  this  can  only  be  done  at 
midsummer — say  in  July  or  August — and  even  then  it  is  at- 
tended with  much  severe  labor  and  fatigue.  I  was  told  tliat 
several  gentlemen,  residing  at  Santa  Cruz,  had  caused  to  be 
erected  a  small  but  comfortable  house,  as  high  up  the  moun- 
tain as  a  mule  or  donkey  could  ascend.  It  was  suflicicntly 
large  to  accommodate  some  six  or  eight  persons  for  a  night ; 
and  whenever  a  party  designed  to  visit  the  peak,  provisions, 
mattresses,  blankets,  etc.,  etc.,  were  provided,  and  sent  up  to 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCnOONER  IRIS.  127 

the  lodging-place  the  previous  day.  These  preparations  hav- 
ing been  made,  the  party,  well  mounted  on  mules  or  don- 
keys, start  from  Santa  Cruz  after  breakfast,  and  generally  have 
a  fatiguing  day's  ride,  before  they  arrive  at  the  mountain- 
house  ;  there  they  remain  all  night,  wrapped  in  cloaks  and 
blankets,  and  early  the  next  morning,  after  drinking  freely  of 
hot  coffee,  to  fortify  them  against  the  cold,  conmience  the  diffi- 
cult journey  of  clambering  on  foot  up  the  rugged  mountain — 
the  peak  of  which  is  said,  by  scientific  men,  to  be  12,172 
English  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  an  exhausted 
volcano,  with  a  broad  and  deep  crater,  which  is  not  seen  until 
you  reach  its  summit.  From  this  astounding  height,  I  am 
told,  the  view  is  magnificent.  The  whole  group  of  the  Canary 
Islands,  which  are  nine  in  number,  is  distinctly  seen  ;  and  it 
is  even  asserted  that,  on  a  clear  day.  Cape  Bajador,  on  the 
coast  of  Africa,  has  been  seen  from  the  top  of  the  peak,  although 
at  a  distance  of  135  miles. 

TenerifTe  and  the  Grand  Canary  are  the  two  largest  and 
most  important  islands  of  this  group  ;  and  had  God  blessed 
them  with  good,  safe  harbors,  they  probably  would  have  be- 
come, long  ere  this  period,  of  great  importance  to  the  world,  in 
a  commercial  point  of  view  ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  say,  there  is  not 
a  good,  safe  port  in  the  whole  of  this  Archipelago,  with  the 
exception  of  Lanzarote,  in  which,  I  am  told,  there  is  a  very 
good  harbor  ;  but  as  it  produces  but  little  for  exportation,  there 
is  nothing  to  induce  foreign  ships  to  visit  that  island.  From 
these  islands,  there  are  a  great  many  small  vessels  employed 
in  the  fishing  business.  These  craft  proceed  to  the  coast  of 
yVfrica,  and  fish  on  the  banks  and  shoals  along  the  shore  ;  they 
take  salt  along  with  them,  and  preserve  the  fish  in  the  hold  of 
the  vessel  until  they  return  to  the  islands.  They  represent 
the  inhabitants  along  that  part  of  the  coast  as  being  in  a  very 
barbarous  state,  and  that  it  is  dangerous  to  land. 

While  at  Santa  Cruz,  I  went  on  board  one  of  these  fishing- 
vessels,  which  had  just  returned  from  Africa,  deeply  laden 
with    fish.      They   somewhat   resembled    the   coinnion    cod. 


128  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER   IRIS. 

though  much  larger  and  whiter ;  they  are  sold  to  all  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Canary  Islands,  and  constitute  an  important 
part  of  their  daily  food,  besides  giving  employment  to  a  large 
number  of  men,  who  become  hardy  sailors,  and  if  properly 
trained  under  able  commanders,  would  make  very  efficient 
seamen. 

I  sold  the  little  cargo  I  brought  here  in  the  Iris,  to  Messrs. 
Little  &  Co.,  of  Port  Oratava,  but  deliverable  here  ;  or  perhaps 
I  ought  to  say,  I  exchanged  it  for  520  demijohns  of  brandy, 
free  from  all  duties,  inward  and  outward,  which  were  to  be 
put  on  board  my  schooner,  at  Oratava,  at  the  sellers'  expense. 
I  also  purchased  from  the  same  house  600  more  of  the  same 
quality,  to  be  delivered  on  or  before  the  first  of  January.  For 
this  brandy  I  paid  seven  dollars  the  demijohn — they  generally 
contain  from  five  to  six  gallons  each,  and  are  prepared  ex- 
pressly for  the  Havana  market — being  distilled  with  an  aro- 
matic seed,  somewhat  like  anise.  The  natives  of  these  islands 
use  this  liquor  as  a  cordial ;  and  when  they  remove  to  a  foreign 
conntry,  retain  the  same  love  for  their  native  nectar ;  and  those 
who  emigrate  to  the  Island  of  Cuba  will  purchase  it,  let  the 
price  be  ever  so  high.  So  it  is  with  the  Hollanders,  who  leave 
their  native  land  for  the  Island  of  Java,  in  the  East  Indies.  I 
am  told  they  annually  export  from  Amsterdam,  to  that  island, 
numerous  puncheons  of  hard-baked  gingerbread,  from  a  simi- 
lar partiality  for  whatever  comes  from  their  Fatherland. 

The  brandy  I  purchased  here  at  seven  dollars  the  demi- 
john, would  scarcely  sell  at  any  price,  except  to  the  natives  of 
these  islands  ;  so  that  by  their  partiality,  or  prejudice,  or  by 
whatever  name  it  may  be  called,  many  people  are  benefited  by 
the  trade,  and  it  is  therefore  natural  to  presume  that  all  parties 
are  satisfied. 

We  finished  discharging  our  cargo  on  the  28th  of  Decem- 
ber, and  took  on  board  a  little  stone  ballast,  and  sailed  the 
next  day  for  Port  Oratava — which  town  is  situated  on  the 
north  shore  of  this  island. 

We  had  a  short  passage  round,  and  anchored  in  the  after- 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  IRIS.  129 

noon,  on  tlie  30th  of  December,  directly  opposite  the  town, 
close  to  the  mouth  of  a  boat-harbor,  which  is  sometimes  occu- 
pied by  small  vessels,  in  the  summer  season ;  and  when  this 
is  resorted  to,  they  are  secured  by  rings  fastened  to  the  rocks. 
The  roadstead  here  is  perhaps  the  worst  in  the  world ;  there 
is  no  harbor  on  this  side  of  the  island  ;  and  all  the  ships  that 
visit  this  place  are  obliged  to  lie  in  this  wild,  open  anchorage, 
in  fifty  or  sixty  fathoms  of  water,  without  any  shelter,  except 
from  the  south  winds.  The  ships  roll,  while  lying  here,  more 
than  when  on  the  broad  ocean  ;  and  upon  the  least  appearance 
of  storms  or  gales,  they  are  obliged  to  slip  their  cables,  stand 
off  to  sea,  and  wait  for  good  weather  before  they  resume  their 
anchorage  ;  in  many  instances  the  captains  prefer  standing  off 
and  on,  and  taking  in  and  out  their  cargoes  while  under  easy 
sail. 

I  took  Mrs.  Coggeshall  on  shore,  where  we  were  hospita- 
bly received  by  the  family  of  one  of  the  partners  of  the  House 
of  jMessrs.  Little  ct  Co.,  who  were  successors  to  the  firm  of 
Messrs.  Pasley,  long  known  for  their  hospitality,  and  sterling 
integrity  in  all  business  matters.  The  weather  being  fine,  we 
had  sufficient  time,  before  night,  to  walk  all  over  this  little 
town,  which  may,  perhaps,  contain  four  or  five  thousand  in- 
habitants, and  has  in  its  vicinity  several  pleasant  walks,  and 
many  highly-cultivated  gardens.  We  lodged  for  the  night 
with  the  family  of  our  hospitable  and  polite  consignee.  I  re- 
gret I  do  not  recollect  the  name  of  the  gentleman  ;  his  wife 
and  his  wife's  sister  were  natives  of  Cadiz,  in  Old  Spain,  and 
were  highly  educated,  agreeable  people. 

I  repaired  on  board  the  Iris  early  the  next  morning,  Janu- 
ary 1st,  and  left  Mrs.  Coggeshall  on  shore  to  enjoy  the  society 
of  these  very  social  and  agreeable  ladies.  The  weather  was 
extremely  fine,  and  soft  as  a  summer's  day ;  there  was  no 
wind,  and  the  sea  was  perfectly  calm,  and  as  smooth  as  a 
mirror.  My  consignee  had  the  whole  cargo  put  on  board  of 
two  large  lighters,  and  employed  a  sufficient  number  of  men 
10  take  it  in,  and  stow  it  all  away  before  sunset. 
9 


130  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  IRIS. 

The  stevedores  here  are  very  active,  adroit  men,  and  un- 
derstand their  business  perfectly.  They  had  a  large  quantity 
of.  brushwood  from  the  fir  or  pine  trees  prepared  for  dunnage  ; 
and  took  on  board  and  stowed  away  the  whole  1120  demijohns 
of  brand}'-,  without  breaking  one. 

I  also  provided  all  necessary  stores,  settled  all  our  bills, 
and  embarked  with  Mrs.  C.  before  the  sun  went  down,  and 
was  now  ready  for  sea,  bound  for  St.  Thomas,  and  from 
thence  to  Havana.  Bat  before  taking  leave  of  this  delight- 
ful island,  I  will  make  a  few  more  remarks  on  the  subject  of 
the  scenery  and  general  appearance  of  this  singular  place. 
While  lying  at  anchor  in  the  port  of  Santa  Cruz,  I  have  gazed 
for  hours  with  wonder  and  delight  at  the  towering  peak  which 
is  covered  with  snow  for  about  nine  months  in  the  year.  Like 
most  other  sublime  objects,  it  never  fatigues  the  eye  nor  wearies 
the  mind — ever  varying  and  still  ever  grand  and  beautiful. 
Sometimes,  when  the  weather  is  perfectly  clear,  the  whole  moun- 
tain, even  to  the  sunmiit,  is  seen  without  the  shadow  of  a 
cloud  ;  then  again,  the  weather  becomes  thick,  and  no  part  of 
the  mountain  is  visible  :  wait  perhaps  a  few  minutes,  and  it 
clears  away,  when  you  behold  the  high,  white  sugar-loaf 
peak,  towering  far  away  above  the  clouds,  and  every  other 
part  of  the  stupendous  mountain  entirely  hidden.  And  thus 
there  is  a  never-ending  variety  that  feasts  the  imagination  and 
charms  and  enchains  the  beholder. 

I  have  often  experienced  a  similar  feeling  while  gazing  on 
the  Falls  of  Niagara;  the  longer  I  continued  to  look  upon  that 
stupendous  cataract  and  heard  its  thunderiug  roar,  the  more  1 
admired  this  sublime  object,  and  tlie  greater  was  the  intensity  of 
feeling  whicli  it  excited.  It  is,  if  possible,  even  more  so  with 
this  high  and  lofty  peak,  which  I  have  frequently  seen  while 
at  sea,  at  a  distance  of  00  miles.  The  north  side  of  Tcneriffe 
has  also  its  peculiar  beauties.  I  had,  previous  to  this  voy- 
age, twice  visited  this  ])lace,  and  had  for  several  weeks  in 
succession  been  lying  at  anchor,  or  standing  off  and  on  at 
Port  Orolava,  still,  I  never  was  tired  of  gazing  on  the  grand 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  IRIS.  131 

and  beautiful  scenery  of  this  interesting  island.  Near  the 
surrmiit  of  the  mountains,  far  above  all  vegetable  life,  you  be- 
hold their  deep  ravines,  and  rough,  broken  declivities  there  ; 
every  thing  appears  cold,  barren  and  dreary ;  look  again,  a 
little  lower  down,  and  you  observe  stunted  trees  and  shrubs  ; 
then  let  the  eye  rest  still  lower,  and  you  perceive  large  trees  and 
considerable  vegetation  ;  still  further  down  the  mountains,  you 
will  see  cultivation  and  the  busy  hand  of  man  at  work,  beau- 
tifying the  fields  and  gardens  ;  descend  still  nearer  the  sea, 
and  you  behold  the  orange  groves,  fig-trees,  and  vineyards  in 
full  bearing,  almost  like  a  tropical  climate.  Here  a  man  may 
choose  a  climate  according  to  his  own  taste.  Any  one  from  the 
United  States  who  is  fond  of  mountain  scenery,  would  be 
richly  rewarded  for  his  loss  of  time  and  expenditure  of  money, 
in  visiting  this  island. 

After  this  long  digression,  I  will  again  resume  my  narra- 
tive. The  reader  will  observe  that  we  finished  lading  our  lit- 
tle schooner  on  the  first  day  of  the  New  Year,  just  as  the  sun 
was  setting,  and  barely  had  time  to  clear  the  decks,  and  get 
every  thing  in  sea  trim,  when  the  scene  changed  from  a  state 
of  smooth  and  peaceful  tranquillity,  to  a  rough,  boisterous  sea, 
and  a  strong  gale  of  wind  from  the  northward.  We  had  only 
time  enough  to  pass  round  the  west  end  of  the  island,  and  get  clear 
of  the  land,  before  it  blew  a  severe  gale,  and  the  ocean  was  soon 
lashed  into  a  white  foam  ;  but,  thank  God,  the  wind  was  fair, 
and  we  had  sea-room  enough,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  run 
off  on  our  course  at  a  rapid  rate  ;  and  I  hope  we  were  not 
ungrateful  to  Him  who  rules  in  love  and  mercy  for  the  benefit 
of  poor,  short-sighted  man,  and  regulates  the  universe  in  His 
own  wisdom,  to  gladden  the  hearts  of  all  those  who  put  their 
trust  in  Him.  ^ 

We  steered  to  the  S.  W.  witH  the  northern  gale,  which 
lasted  for  two  days,  when  the  wind  moderated,  and  the  weath- 
er became  warm  and  pleasant,  so  that  in  the  course  of  a  week 
we  got  into  the  N.  E.  trades,  and  ran  down  to  the  westward, 
and  day  after  day  had  fair  winds  and  fine  weather,  making 


132  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  IRIS. 

daily  about  160  to  200  miles,  without  any  severe  gales  or 
storms,  which  seldom  occur  at  this  season  of  the  year  in  this 
parallel  of  latitude  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  On  the  22d  of 
January,  at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  made  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's, bearing  west,  eight  leagues  distant,  20  days  from  Ten- 
eriffe.  We  ran  down  along  its  south  side,  and  in  passing,  saw 
several  of  the  neighboring  islands,  viz.,  St.  Eustatia,  Saba, 
St.  Kitts,  and  St.  Martin  ;  we  continued  on  our  course  all 
night,  and  arrived  the  next  morning  at  St.  Thomas.  Here  we 
replenished  our  water,  got  on  board  a  fresh  supply  of  sea 
stores,  fruit,  etc.,  and  after  remaining  here  three  days,  left  this 
place  for  the  Havana. 

We  sailed  out  tln-ough  Sail  Rock  Passage,  and  continued 
our  westerly  course,  inclining  to  the  northward,  to  get  gradu- 
ally in  the  parallel  of  the  Hole-in-the-Wall,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Island  of  Abaco.  We  were  favored  with  the  regular 
N.  E.  trades,  and  clear  pleasant  weather,  from  the  time  we  left 
port  until  we  made  the  Hole-in-the-Wall,  on  the  3d  of  Febru- 
ary, eight  days  from  St.  Thomas. 

We  passed  near  this  conspicuous  landmark  in  the  morning, 
and  got  fairly  on  the  Great  Bahama  bank  before  night.  We 
had  generally  light  winds,  and  ran  over  the  bank  without 
meeting  with  any  incident  worth  noticing.  Thus,  after  a 
pleasant  passage  of  twelve  days  from  St,  Thomas,  we  arrived 
at  Havai^a.  I  landed  with  Mrs.  C.  on  the  7th  of  February, 
and  at  the  pressing  request  of  my  consignee,  Senor  Canes,  we 
took  up  our  abode  at  his  house.  The  fither  of  this  family, 
and  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Felipe  A.  Canes  &  Co.,  was 
originally  from  old  Spain  ;  he  had  been  a  resident  of  Cuba  for 
many  years,  and  married  there.  His  wife  was  an  agreeable, 
elderly  lady,  born  in  Cuba,  of  Spanish  parents.  They  had 
several  sons  and  daughters,  and  we  found  them  polite,  agree- 
able people. 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival,  I  sold,  through  Messrs.  Canes  &- 
Co.  all  my  brandy  on  the  wharf,  at  ten  dollars  and  thirty  cents 
the  demijohn,  payable  in  cash  on  delivery,  and  we  found  but 
four  demijohns  broken  in  the  whole  cargo. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SCHOONER  IRIS.  183 

This  is  an  excellent  harbor,  very  easy  of  access,  and  gen- 
erally safe  from  all  winds.  It  is  deep  and  capacious  enough  to 
contain  and  accommodate  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  ships  ;  in 
fine,  it  is  one  of  the  best  ports  in  the  world,  and  its  commerce 
is  very  extensive.  It  has  a  fine  winter  climate,  and  is  gene- 
rally healthy  all  the  year  round  for  the  native  inhabitants  ; 
though  in  the  spring  and  summer  months  it  is  often  unhealthy 
for  strangers.  A  great  deal  of  wealth  is  concentrated  here ; 
business  is  done  on  a  large  scale,  and  many  of  its  merchants 
and  planters  have  acquired  considerable  fortunes  in  a  few 
years.  It  is  the  capital  city  of  Cuba,  and  probably  contains 
about  120,000  inhabitants.  This  city  is  too  well  known  to 
require  a  description  from  me.  I  was  so  much  occupied  dur- 
ing my  stay  here  that  I  had  no  opportunity  of  visiting  the  in- 
terior of  the  island.  Having  disposed  of  my  cargo,  I  pur- 
chased ninety  hogsheads  of  molasses,  and  a  few  barrels  of 
sugar ;  the  balance  of  my '  funds,  say  about  six  thousand 
Spanish  dollars,  I  concluded  to  take  home  with  me;  and  after 
lying  here  twenty-one  days,  we  sailed  from  this  port  on  the 
first  of  March,  bound  for  New- York. 

During  the  first  week  out,  we  had  light  winds  from  the  N. 
E.  and  fine  weather,  but  on  approaching  the  coast  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  we  met  strong  northerly  gales  with  cold  unpleasant 
weather ;  and  after  a  long  and  disagreeable  passage  of  twenty 
days,  arrived  at  New-York  on  the  20th  of  March.  Mrs.  Cogge- 
shall  soon  left  the  city  to  visit  her  father  and  his  family,  in 
Connecticut.  I  found  my  brother  had  returned  here  in  the 
Catherine,  from  Tenerifie,  and  had  made  a  pretty  good  voyage. 

My  good  friends,  Messrs.  Lawrence  <fc  Betts,  soon  sold  our 
little  cargo  of  sugar  and  molasses,  and  as  the  Iris  was  too 
small  for  our  future  purposes,  we  disposed  of  her,  and  settled 
every  thing  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  parties  interested  in 
this  little  commercial  enterprise.  We  made  a  very  profitable 
voyage  considering  the  small  amount  of  capital  employed.  I 
had,  previous  to  this  period,  and  for  many  years  afterwards,  a 
great  many  commercial  transactions  with  these  worthy  gen- 


184  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  IRIS. 

tlemen,  and  ever  found  them  kind,  honest,  just  and  hberal. 
To  my  long-tried  and  faithful  friend,  Jonathan  Lawrence,  Esq., 
I  am  indebted  for  much  fatherly  counsel,  and  kind  and  disinter- 
ested hospitality.  For  a  series  of  years  I  thankfully  enjoyed  his 
warm  and  generous  sympathy ;  in  fine,  he  was  one  of  that 
class  of  men  the  Saviour  called,  the  "salt  of  the  earth,"  and 
was  very  justly  and  truly  beloved  by  all  those  who  had  the 
good  fortune  to  be  acquainted  with  him. 


I 


I 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  U.  S.  BRIG  ENTERPRISE,  WITH  CAPTAIN  LAWRENCE 
KEARNEY,  FROM  NEW-YORK  TO  OMOA,  AND  FROM  THENCE  TO 
VERA  CRUZ,  IN  THE  SCHOONER  RETRIEVE,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW- 
YORK,   IN   THE  YEAR  1819. 

I  HAD  recently  returned  to  New-York  from  a  voyage  to  Ten- 
erifFe  and  Havana,  in  the  schooner  Iris,  and  had  only  been 
about  three  months  with  my  family,  when  I  was  solicited  by 
two  of  the  Insurance  Companies  in  New- York,  namely,  the 
Union  and  the  National,  to  proceed  with  Captain  Kearney,  in 
pursuit  of  the  schooner  Retrieve. 

This  vessel  belonged  to  Peter  Harmony,  Esq.  She  was  a 
pilot-boat  built  schooner,  of  one  hundred  and  three  tons  bur- 
then, and  was  sent  from  New- York  to  Cadiz,  with  a  cargo 
adapted  to  that  market,  under  the  command  of  John  Lewis  ; 
and  here  follows  a  list  of  the  crew  when  she  left  New- York, 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1819,  for  Cadiz  : 

J.  Lester,  Charles   Palamo,  alias,  Nicho- 
Thomas  Vincent,  las  Palamo, 

W.  P.  Turner,  William   Loney,  (cook,  yellow 
Charles  Scuyter,  or  black.) 

At  Cadiz,  this  vessel  was  furnished  with  a  cargo  of  mer- 
chandise, as  follows:  four  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  brandy, 
about  one  hundred  bales  of  Spanish  paper,  a  few  boxes  of  saf- 
fron, sweet   oil  in  jars,  and   a  small  quantity  of  silk  goods 


136  VOYAGE   IX  THE   BRIG   ENTERPRISE. 

black  cloaks  and  veils.  She  sailed  from  Cadiz  on  the  10th  of 
April,  bound  for  Vera  Cruz.  A  week  after  leaving  port,  when 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Canary  Islands,  the  mate  conspired 
with  the  crew  to  murder  the  captain,  and  run  away  with  the 
vessel  and  cargo.  This  was  accomplished,  and  the  first  news 
Mr.  Harmony  had  of  his  schooner,  was  by  the  way  of  the  Ha- 
vana, that  the  Retrieve  was  lying  in  the  little  port  of  Omoa, 
and  that  the  mate  and  a  portion  of  the  crew  were  confined  in 
prison,  by  order  of  the  Governor  at  that  place. 

Upon  receiving  this  information,  Mr.  Harmony  abandoned 
the  vessel  and  cargo  to  the  insurance  companies.  The  presi- 
dents and  directors  of  these  companies  applied  to  the  United 
States  Government  for  a  ship-of-war  to  proceed  to  Omoa,  to 
recover  the  schooner  Retrieve,  her  cargo  and  the  crew.  This 
request  was  promptly  granted,  and  Captain  L.  Kearney  was 
appointed  to  perform  this  service.  The  insurance  com- 
panies made  me  their  agent  to  act  in  concert  with  Captain 
Kearney,  and  proceed  with  him  in  the  brig  Enterprise  for  that 
purpose.  As  a  compensation  for  my  services,  the  two  insur- 
ance companies  agreed  to  pay  all  my  expenses,  and  allow  me 
one  thousand  dollars.  After  all  these  preliminaries  were  set- 
tled, we  sailed  from  New- York  on  the  2d  of  June,  bound  for 
Omoa,  in  the  Bay  of  Honduras.  We  had  a  good  time  off  the 
coast,  and  in  ten  days  after  leaving  Sandy  Hook,  we  got  out  to 
the  Mona  Passage,  passing  between  the  east  end  of  St,  Do- 
mingo, and  the  west  end  of  Porto  Rico.  We  ran  down  the  South 
side  of  St.  Domingo,  and  also  down  the  south  of  Jamaica. 
We  found  the  trade  winds  for  several  days  rather  light  in  the 
neighborhood  of  these  islands,  but  the  weather  was  generally 
fine,  and  the  time  passed  off  agreeably.  We  met  with  no  in- 
cident worth  noting  until  we  got  down  near  the  south  side  of 
Jamaica,  when  the  following  painful  accident  occurred  : 

One  fine  evening,  just  at  twilight,  one  of  the  carpenter's 
mates  was  drawing  water  from  the  sea  with  a  bucket  to  wash 
the  decks,  when  he  lost  his  balance,  and  slipped  overboard 
from  the  gangway  in  the  waist.     There  was  but  a  light  air  at 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  ENTERPRISE.  137 

the  time,  and  the  brig  was  instantly  brought  up  to  the  wind, 
and  a  boat  lowered  to  save  the  man ;  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
Captain  Kearney  made  several  tacks  to  windward,  and  proba- 
bly passed  over  the  same  place  where  he  fell  overboard,  and 
kept  the  boat  out  on  the  look-out  until  there  was  no  doubt  the 
poor  fellow  had  sunk  to  rise  no  more.  I  understood  that  the 
person  drowned  was  a  very  sober,  good  man.  It  is  always  a 
painful  circumstance  to  lose  a  fellow-being  in  this  untimely 
way,  and  naturally  throws  a  melancholy  gloom  over  the 
whole  ship's  company. 

Some  days  after  this,  we  made  the  Swan  Islands.  They 
are  two  in  number,  and  of  moderate  height,  and  lie  in  latitude 
17°  22'  north,  longitude  83°  57'  west,  directly  in  the  track  from 
Jamaica  to  the  Bay  of  Honduras.  It  was  about  noon  when  we 
got  down  to  them.  The  weather  being  fine,  Captain  K.  brought 
the  Enterprise  to  anchor  in  ten  fathoms  of  water,  under  the 
lee  of  the  largest  of  the  two  islands.  We  then  went  on  shore 
and  explored  them  both  ;  the  largest  of  the  two  is  about  two 
miles  long,  and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  broad  ;  the  smallest  is 
perhaps  one  mile  long  and  half  a  mile  broad,  with  a  bad  reef 
running  from  one  to  the  other.  They  are  covered  with  small 
trees  and  bushes,  and  are  uninhabited  and  desolate.  Here  all 
kinds  of  sea  birds  lay  and  hatch  without  being  disturbed  by 
man,  and  we  found  them  so  tame  and  gentle,  that  we  could 
almost  knock  them  down  with  sticks.  After  remaining  on 
shore  about  two  hours,  we  returned  on  board  and  made  sail 
for  the  Island  of  Bonaca,  which  lies  about  W.  S.  W.  from 
Swan  Islands,  distant  one  hundred  and  ten  miles.  The 
next  day  we  passed  near  Bonaca ;  this  is  a  pretty  high  island, 
covered  with  trees  and  bushes.  And  from  thence  we  sailed 
down  along  the  south  side  of  Rattan  Island,  which  is  moder- 
ately high,  and  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  long.  We 
continued  our  course  down  the  bay,  until  we  arrived  at  tlie 
port  of  Omoa,  where  we  came  to  anchor  on  the  27th  of  June, 
after  a  pleasant  passage  of  twenty-four  days. 

Captain  Kearney  sent  one  of  his  lieutenants  on  shore  with 


Ida  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG   ENTERPEISE. 

an  oiFer  to  salute  the  castle,  and  when  these  preliminaries 
were  arranged,  a  handsome  salute  was  fired  by  the  Enter- 
prise. The  officer  of  the  fort,  with  the  best  intentions  no  doubt, 
attempted  to  return  it,  but  owing  to  their  unskilful  gunnery, 
they  made  wild  and  awkward  work  of  it.  They  probably 
took  the  Enterprise  for  a  Carthaginian  brig-of-war,  and  as 
Omoa,  at  that  time,  was  a  colony  of  Spain,  they  had  all  their 
guns  loaded,  and  in  their  hurry  and  confusion  were  unable  to 
draw  the  shot  from  them,  so  that  on  returning  our  salute  their 
grape  and  round  shot  flew  all  over  the  harbor.  Fortunately  no 
mischief  was  done,  and  as  Capt.  Kearney  was  convinced  that 
there  was  no  want  of  respect  on  the  part  of  the  commander  of  the 
fort,  and  that  no  evil  was  intended,  he  very  wisely  overlooked 
their  agitation  and  ignorance. 

We  saw  the  Retrieve  lying  at  anchor  alone  in  this  snug 
little  harbor,  and  not  another  ship  or  vessel  in  the  port  except 
ourselves.  Captain  Kearney  and  myself  soon  repaired  on 
shore  and  waited  on  the  Governor  ;  we  showed  him  our  creden- 
tials and  authority  to  recover  the  Retrieve,  cargo  and  crew, 
and  soon  explained  every  thing  to  his  satisfaction.  He  was  a 
native  of  Old  Spain,  and  a  fine  gentlemanly  man.  He  said  he 
had  no  doubt  that  we  were  fully  authorized  to  take  charge  of 
the  property  and  sailors  in  prison  belonging  to  the  vessel,  still 
he  was  fearful  that  if  he  gave  up  the  schooner  and  men  with- 
out first  writing  to  the  Captain  General  at  Guatimala,  for  his 
permission,  he  might,  perhaps,  implicate  himself  The  dis- 
tance from  this  place  to  the  capital  is  about  400  miles,  and  to 
wait  the  answer  of  the  Chief  of  the  Province,  would  probably 
occupy  about  fifteen  or  twenty  days.  The  Governor,  however, 
was  an  obliging  good  man,  and  when  we  stated  to  him  the  neces- 
sity of  dispatch,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  Enter- 
prise to  remain  long  in  this  sultry  climate  with  so  many  persons 
on  board,  he  consented  to  take  the  responsibility  of  displeasing 
the  Conmiandcr-in-Chicf  at  Gnatimala,  and  kindly  gave  up 
the  prisoners  and  property  forthwith.  Captain  K.  immediately 
supplied  me  with  carpenters,  calkcrs,  riggers  and  sailmakers, 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG   ENTERPRISE.  139 

SO  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  we  had  the  schooner 
calked  throughout,  sails  repaired  and  bent,  and  every  thing 
ready  to  take  in  the  cargo,  which  was  stored  in  the  town  of 
Omoa,  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  port.  Captain  K.,  with 
the  consent  of  the  Governor,  had  the  two  remaining  prisoners 
removed  from  the  Castle  to  the  Enterprise,  and  there  in  the 
presence  of  the  Governor  and  his  principal  officers,  was  held  a 
court  of  inquiry  on  the  mate  and  the  rascally  sailor,  who  turned 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  State. 

The  substance  of  their  story  was  as  follows  : — that  they 
were  six  in  number  exclusive  of  the  captain  ;  that  before  leav- 
ing Cadiz,  the  mate  and  crew  had  embezzled  a  few  barrels  of 
brandy  and  some  other  trifling  articles,  which  they  sold  while 
Captain  Lewis  was  on  shore,  and  had  divided  the  money 
among  them  ;  and  that  after  getting  to  sea,  the  mate  said  they 
would,  on  their  arrival  at  Vera  Cruz,  be  detected  and  pvmished 
for  what  they  had  done  ;  therefore  if  they  would  join  him  to 
throw  Captain  L.  overboard,  he  would  navigate  the  schooner 
to  some  port  in  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  where  they  would  sell 
the  vessel  and  cargo,  and  divide  the  amount  in  silver  and  gold, 
and  thus  escape  without  detection. 

Having  agreed  upon  the  plan  to  be  adopted,  about  a  week 
after  leaving  Cadiz,  when  in  the  neighborhood  of  Palma,  one 
of  the  Canaries,  about  7  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  steward, 
who  was  also  the  cook,  called  Captain  Lewis  and  the  mate  to 
tea.  He  went  below,  and  sent  the  steward  on  deck  to  request 
the  mate  to  come  into  the  cabin  and  get  his  supper ;  he  replied 
that  he  wanted  none,  and  ordered  the  steward  to  bring  him  a 
pitcher  of  water.  The  steward  obeyed  the  order,  when  he 
took  the  pitcher  and  dashed  it  on  deck  with  great  violence, 
over  the  captain's  head,  who  came  immediately  on  deck  to 
know  the  reason  why  Mr.  Brown  had  broken  the  pitcher,  when 
the  mate  drew  a  boat's  tiller  from  beneath  his  pea-jacket,  and 
struck  the  captain  a  violent  blow  on  the  side  of  the  head,  so 
that  he  fell  bleeding  and  prostrate  on  the  quarter-deck ;  the 
mate  then  called  aloud  for  the  crew  to  come  aft,  and  '•  throw 


140  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  ENTERPRISE. 

the  old  rascal  overboard ;"  they  all  obeyed  except  the  steward, 
who  was  below  at  the  time,  and  took  no  part  in  the  murder ; 
the  mate  and  every  one  of  the  crew  then  laid  hold  of  the 
captain  and  threw  him  overboard.  They  all  put  their  hands 
upon  him  when  performing  this  act,  that  they  should  all  be 
equally  culpable.  The  wind  was  light  at  this  time,  and  the 
schooner  only  going  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  miles  the  hour. 
When  he  was  thrown  into  the  water  he  revived,  and  begged 
them  for  God's  sake  to  spare  his  life,  and  said  he  would  forgive 
them  even  then,  if  they  would  take  him  on  board  ;  but  they 
were  deaf  to  his  entreaties,  and  steered  directly  on  their  course. 
After  this  cruel  and  inhuman  act,  the  mate  called  all  hands 
into  the  cabin,  got  a  Bible,  and  they  all  swore  never  to  reveal 
the  secret  of  the  murder.  It  was  agreed  that  Mr.  Brown 
should  personate  the  captain ;  assume  his  name,  and  wear  his 
clothes ;  and  for  fear  of  detection,  a  consultation  was  held  as 
to  what  they  had  better  do  with  the  steward.  As  this  man 
had  no  hand  in  the  murder,  they  feared  he  might  betray  them. 
At  length  it  was  decided  to  spare  his  life,  but  to  swear  him  to 
keep  the  secret,  and  one  and  all  swore  to  kill  him  should  he 
ever  betray  them.  When  these  arrangements  were  finished, 
they  all  drank  freely  of  brandy  to  sustain  their  courage,  and 
sailed  down  through  the  West  India  Islands  and  into  the  Bay 
of  Honduras,  always  drinking  brandy  like  water,  and  now  and 
then  quarrelling  among  themselves.  After  getting  into  the  Bay 
of  Honduras  they  ran  off  the  town  of  Truxillo,  but  could  not 
agree  among  themselves  about  going  into  the  harbor ;  some 
were  for  and  some  against  going  into  port ;  at  length  they  stood 
out  and  ran  down  the  bay.  That  night  they  drank  so  freely 
that  some  of  them  imagined  they  saw  the  captain's  ghost,  and 
were  terribly  frightened,  and  thought  they  never  could  be 
happy  until  they  divulged  the  awful  secret.  However  they 
came  to  anchor  at  Omoa  ;  and  here  the  narrative  was  continued 
by  the  inhabitants  of  tiiis  place.  The  mate  (Brown),  dressed 
in  the  clothes  of  the  late  captain,  and  taking  his  name  to  cor- 
respond with  the  schooner's  papers,  waited  on  the  Governor, 


VOYAGE   IN  TUE   BRIG   ENTERPRISE.  141 

and  stated  that  they  were  from  Cadiz,  bound  to  Vera  Cruz,  but 
as  the  schooner  leaked  badly,  and  they  were  otherwise  in  dis- 
tress for  sails,  rigging,  water  and  provisions,  he  had  put  into 
this  port  to  repair  damages,  and  get  supplies  sufficient  to 
proceed  on  his  voyage,  and  requested  the  Covernor  would 
give  him  permission  to  dispose  of  part  of  his  cargo  to  pay  for 
the  necessary  repairs,  provisions,  etc.  There  being  at  this 
time  no  suspicion  of  any  thmg  wrong  against  the  mate  and 
crew,  he  readily  gave  the  supposed  Captain  Lewis  permission 
to  dispose  of  a  part  of  the  cargo  to  pay  his  expenses.  The 
fictitious  captain  then  sold  about  twenty  barrels  of  brandy, 
and  several  jars  of  sweet  oil  at  low  prices,  and  was  paid  in 
doubloons.  When  he  returned  on  board  with  the  gold,  the 
crew  being  heated  with  brandy,  demanded  a  fair  and  equal  dis- 
tribution of  the  amount  received.  The  self-made  captain,  on 
the  contrary,  gave  to  onef  a  doubloon,  and  to  another  eight  or 
ten  dollars,  and  endeavored  to  enforce  obedience  to  his  orders, 
until  from  a  quarrel  it  proceeded  to  an  open  fight.  There 
were  at  this  time  several  negroes  working  on  board  who  un- 
derstood English,  and  heard  them  call  Mr.  B.  a  d — d  rascal, 
and  no  more  a  captain  than  themselves.  Towards  night  one 
of  the  crew,  I  believe  he  was  a  Swede,  named  Nicholas 
Polamo,  went  on  shore  and  acquainted  the  Governor  with  the 
whole  story. 

He  then  sent  for  the  negroes,  and  examined  them  also  on 
tlw3  subject ;  their  statement  so  far  corresponded  with  the 
sailor's,  that  he  decided  the  next  morning  to  confine  them  all 
in  the  Castle ;  but  during  the  night,  three  of  them  stole  the 
schooner's  boat,  and  were  off  for  Balize,  an  English  port,  at 
the  bottom  of  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  and  thus  escaped  punish- 
ment. The  next  morning  the  Governor  took  Brown,  the  stew- 
ard, and  the  sailor  who  had  informed  against  the  mate,  and 
put  them  all  into  the  Castle  as  prisoners,  and  kept  them  in 
close  confinement.  He  then  had  the  schooner  discharged,  and 
the  cargo  safely  stored  in  the  town  of  Omoa,  and  laid  her 
up.     He  also  wrote  to  the  Governor  of  Havana,  to  advise  the 


142  VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG-  ENTERPEISE. 

owner  of  the  Retrieve  of  the  steps  he  had  taken  ;  and  from 
the  first  to  tlie  last,  acted  lilce  a  just  and  honest  man.  The 
poor  steward  died  a  few  weeks  previous  to  our  arrival.  The 
other  two  scoundrels  we  found  in  prison.  They  were  sent  on 
board  the  Enterprise  to  be  transported  to  New- York,  and  there 
to  undergo  a  fair  trial.  I  saw,  and  conversed  several  times 
with  the  mate,  who  said  his  name  was  Brown.  He  was  a 
young  man,  say  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  rather  small 
in  stature,  of  a  light  brown  complexion,  and  appeared  very 
humble  and  penitent,  was  constantly  reading  his  Bible,  and 
lamenting  his  unhappy  situation.  In  the  course  of  our  con- 
versation, he  said  he  hoped  the  punishment  of  death  would 
be  commuted  for  the  State  Prison.  The  other  man,  Nicholas 
Palamo,  was  a  hardened,  impudent  looking  rascal,  with  the 
mark  of  villain  stamped  on  every  line  of  his  countenance.  In 
the  case  of  this  fellow,  the  old  procerb  was  literally  verified, 
that,  "  the  greatest  rogue  always  turns  state's  evidence." 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  we  had  so  far  repaired  the 
schooner,  as  to  put  on  board  all  the  cargo  that  had  been  stored 
here  by  the  governor.  What  remained  was  380  barrels  of 
brandy,  81  bales  of  paper,  2  boxes  of  saffron,  19  jars  of  sweet 
oil,  and  20  black  silk  cloaks  and  veils. 

After  getting  ready  for  sea,  Captain  Kearney  supplied  me 
with  all  necessary  stores,  and  a  mate  and  four  men  as  a  crew  for 
the  Retrieve.  We  agreed  to  beat  out  of  the  bay  together,  and 
keep  company  until  we  got  off  Cape  Catochc,  when  we  were 
to  separate,  he  to  proceed  to  New- York  with  the  prisoners,  and 
I  with  the  Retrieve  and  cargo  to  Vera  Cruz.  But  before  leav- 
ing Omoa,  I  will  make  a  few  remarks  on  that  place.  It  lies 
in  lat.  15°  47'  N.,  long.  81°  1'  W.  The  harbor  is  formed  by  a 
little  bay,  with  a  low,  sandy  point,  stretching  out  about  half  a 
mile  to  the  north,  covered  with  mangrove  trees  and  bushes, 
which  make  a  good  shelter  from  the  northern  gales.  The 
fort,  or  castle,  stands  at  tlie  head  of  the  bay,  near  which  is 
the  best  anchorage,  in  from  sixteecn  to  four  fathoms  of  water; 
as  you  approach  the  shore  it  shallows,  and  you  may  choose 


VOYAGE  IJS"  THE  BRIG  ENTERPRISE.  143 

your  own  depth,  say  from  sixteen  to  four  fallioms,  soft,  muddy 
bottom,  and  good  holding  ground  ;  in  fine,  it  is  a  snug,  safe 
harbor.  The  castle  is  large,  and— like  most  other  fortifica- 
tions built  by  the  Spaniards — solid  stone  mason  work,  and 
was  formerly  no  doubt  very  strong,  but  it  is  now  much  neglected, 
and  I  should  think  could  make  but  a  feeble  resistance  against  an 
enemy.  When  this  province  belonged  to  old  Spain,  this  cas- 
tle was  a  sort  of  Botany  Bay,  to  which  place  they  transported 
convict  prisoners,  but  is  now  no  longer  used  for  that  purpose, 
and  has  only  a  small  garrison  kept  here  to  protect  the  little 
town  of  Omoa  and  its  commerce.  This  town  is  located  about 
a  mile  to  the  eastward  of  the  landing-place  at  the  castle.  It 
is  now  an  insignificant  place,  containing  about  200  inditferent 
houses,  and  perhaps  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants,  the 
greater  part  of  whom  are  very  poor.  I  regret  I  do  not  remem- 
ber the  Governor's  name ;  he  was,  as  I  have  before  said,  a 
worthy,  gentlemanly  man,  and  disposed  to  do  justice  to  every 
one  that  came  within  his  power.  I  think  there  are  very  few 
small  places  in  any  part  of  the  world,  where,  if  a  vessel  should 
enter  under  like  circumstances  with  the  Retrieve,  that  the 
property  would  have  been  as  well  preserved,  and  the  men  tak- 
en up  and  brought  to  justice,  as  was  the  case  with  this  vessel 
and  her  crew.  I  therefore  repeat,  that  great  credit  is  due  to 
the  old  Governor.  I  also  think  the  inhabitants  of  Omoa, -gen- 
erally speaking,  are  a  simple-hearted,  honest  people,  and  wish 
to  do  justice  and  deal  honestly  with  all  the  foreigners  that  visit 
their  place.  The  Governor  was  poor,  and  lived  in  homely 
style,  but  he  gave  us  the  best  he  had  and  made  us  welcome, 
and  no  one  could  ask  more  of  this  true-hearted,  honest  Span- 
iard, of  the  old  Hidalgo  school.  Thus,  after  lying  in  this  lit- 
tle port  thirteen  days,  we  sailed  on  the  9th  of  July,  ISIO,  and 
commenced  beating  up  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  against  the  trade 
winds,  which  were  generally  at  E.  N.  E.,  and  in  three  days 
after  leaving  the  port  of  Omoa,  we  beat  up  to  the  west  end  of 
Rattan  Island,  when  we  steered  to  the  northward,  and  ran  for 
the  passage,  namely,  between  the  west  end  of  Cuba,  and  the 


144  VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG   ENTERPRISE. 

east  coast  of  Yucatan.  This  part  of  the  distance  we  made 
in  two  days,  and  after  sending  my  letters  for  home  on  board 
the  Enterprise,  and  taking  leave  of  my  friend  Capt.  Kearney, 
we  separated  on  the  14th  of  Jnly,  off  Cape  Catoche,  the  En- 
terprise bound  for  New- York,  and  I  in  the  Retrieve  for  Vera 
Cruz. 

During  the  time  I  was  in  company  with  the  Enterprise, 
my  crew  behaved  well :  but  the  very  next  day  they  broke 
through  the  bulkhead  in  the  forecastle,  got  at  the  brandy  in 
the  hold,  and  all  got  drunk  together.  My  mate  proved  to  be  a 
poor,  inefficient  creature,  and,  in  short,  was  good  for  nothing. 
I  was  therefore  under  the  necessity  of  nailing  up  the  forecas- 
tle, and  compelling  the  men  to  live  on  deck  until  we  arrived 
at  Vera  Cruz  ;  and  in  order  to  keep  every  thing  straight  and 
prevent  mischief,  I  slept  on  deck  also.  This  may  appear  like 
rigid  precaution,  but  I  am  convinced  that  stern  duty  required 
it,  and  that  there  was  no  safety  in  trusting  the  men  under  deck. 
In  making  these  remarks,  I  wish  not  to  implicate  or  reflect  upon 
Capt.  K.  for  the  bad  conduct  of  these  men  ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
always  rendered  me  every  assistance  in  his  power,  and  could 
have  had  no  idea  that  the  men  were  such  a  set  of  vagabonds. 
While  on  board  a  man-of-war,  they  were  kept  in  a  perfect 
state  of  discipline,  but  when  this  restraint  was  taken  off,  they 
would  run  into  the  lowest  state  of  brutal  intoxication.  I  do 
not  say  that  the  men  were  mutinous  or  impudent,  that  was 
not  the  case  ;  on  the  contrary  they  were  obedient ;  but  the  mo- 
ment they  could  procure  liquor,  they  became  perfect  beasts. 
With  a  good,  efficient  mate,  1  could  have  got  along  with  less 
trouble.  By  constant  watchfulness  and  vigilance,  however,  I 
surmounted  every  difficulty,  and  came  safe  to  anchor  in  the 
port  of  Vera  Cruz,  on  the  22d  of  July,  eight  days  after  parting 
with  the  Enterprise  off  Cape  Catoche. 

Here,  agreeably  to  instructions  from  Peter  Harmony,  Esq., 
former  owner  of  the  Retrieve,  I  consigned  both  vessel  and 
cargo  to  Don  Francisco  Antonio  de  la  Sierra,  merchant  at  this 
place.     Some  days  after  our  arrival,  the  cargo  was  all  landed 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  ENTERPRISE.  145 

and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  consignee.  This  gentleman 
disposed  of  it  in  tlie  course  of  ten  or  fifteen  days,  and  agree- 
ably to  his  accounts,  it  netted  only  eleven  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  dollars.  Senor  de  la  Sierra  complained 
that  a  great  deal  of  the  paper  was  badly  damaged,  and  that 
some  of  the  brandy  had  been  reduced  with  water,  which 
was  the  reason  the  cargo  did  not  produce  a  greater  amount. 

During  my  stay  here,  my  sailors  were  almost  always  in- 
toxicated, three  of  them  ran  away  and  were  replaced  by  others. 
I  shipped  a  man  who  told  me  his  name  was  Baker  Smith.  He 
said  he  was  an  Englishman,  and  had  been  left  sick  in  Vera 
Cruz,  and  unable  to  obtain  any  kind  of  employment.  He  was 
wretchedly  clad,  and  begged  so  hard  for  a  berth,  that  I  agreed 
to  take  him,  provided  he  would  perform  the  duty  of  a  steward. 
He  readily  promised  to  do  so,  and  shipped  in  that  capacity. 
He  accordingly  came  on  board,  and  behaved  so  well  that  I  was 
delighted  with  him.  By  his  efiicient  conduct  and  assiduity,  he 
in  a  few  days  so  gained  my  confidence,  that  one  day  having 
occasion  for  the  mate  on  shore,  I  loft  this  man  in  charge  of  the 
cabin.  During  my  absence  he  called  a  boat  alongside  and 
deserted  the  vessel,  after  having  robbed  me  of  three  hundred 
Spanish  dollars  ;  and  from  that  day  to  the  present  time,  I  have 
never  heard  any  thing  further  from  Mr.  Baker  Smith.  The 
conduct  of  this  rascal  reminds  me  of  the  ancient  fable  of  the 
man  who  picked  up  a  frozen  viper  and  placed  it  in  his  bosom. 
The  warmth  of  his  body  soon  restored  it  to  life,  when  it  mor- 
tally stung  its  benefactor. 

I  will  here  relate  an  incident  of  one  of  the  sailors  that 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Enterprise,  merely  to  show  the 
superstition  of  the  most  ignorant  of  that  class  of  men.  One 
evening  I  returned  on  board  from  Vera  Cruz,  when  tliis  sailor 
met  me  in  the  gangway.  He  was  terribly  alarmed,  and  abso- 
lutely trembling  with  fear.  He  said  he  was  rejoiced  that  I 
had  come  on  board,  that  the  murdered  captain  had  just  follow- 
ed him  all  about  the  deck,  and  that  the  blood  was  streaming 
rom  his  bruised  head,  and  almost  frightened  him  out  of  his 
10 


146  VOYAGE    IX   THE   BRIG  ENTERPRISE. 

senses.  I  could  not  persuade  him  that  it  was  his  diseased  im- 
agination, and  that  lie  saw  nothing.  I  have  often  observed  the 
power  of  superstition  among  sailors  where  supernatural  objects 
are  presented  to  their  credulous  minds.  Though  this  man 
shuddered  so  with  fear  at  the  imaginary  sight  of  a  ghost,  he 
probably,  if  ordered,  would  have  marched  to  the  cannon's 
mouth  in  open  daylight. 

I  finally  picked  up  a  motley  crew ;  some  I  took  out  of  prison, 
and  had  to  take  such  as  I  could  find,  without  inquiring  very 
closely  into  their  characters.  Fortunately  I  had  two  gentle- 
men passengers ;  one  a  Mr.  James  Brush,  an  Englishman,  the 
other,  iMr.  John  Ramsay,  an  American.  They  had  been  cap- 
tains for  several  years  in  the  Mexican  army,  and  had  at  length 
been  taken  by  the  Spaniards  and  sent  as  prisoners  to  Vera 
Cruz.  Here  they  were  set  at  liberty,  and  I  gladly  gave  them 
a  passage  to  New- York.  I  took  on  board  the  Retrieve  about 
$7,000,  and  left  the  balance  due  the  owners  of  the  schooner, 
say  about  $4,635,  hi  the  hands  of  Senor  F.  A.  de  la  Sierra,  to 
be  remitted  to  Peter  Harmony,  Esq.,  by  the  way  of  the  Ha- 
vana, and  after  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  difficulty,  finally 
sailed  from  Vera  Cruz,  on  the  20th  of  August,  bound  for  New- 
York.  We  remained  in  this  port  twenty-nine  days.  For  sev- 
eral days  we  had  light  winds  from  the  eastward,  and  a  strong 
lee  current  running,  so  that  we  gained  but  very  little  distance. 
On  the  29th  of  August,  nine  days  out,  we  saw  the  Alacranes 
bearing  about  S.  E.,  three  or  four  leagues  distant.  These 
islands  are  four  in  number,  they  are  composed  of  sand  and  are 
quite  low,  not  much  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  very  dan- 
gerous, being  surrounded  by  shoals  and  sand-banks.  From 
the  20tli  to  the  31st  of  August,  we  still  had  a  continuation  of 
light  winds  from  the  E.  N.  E.,  and  a  strong  westerly  current ; 
of  course,  it  was  verydiflicult  to  get  to  the  eastward. 

Before  leaving  Vera  Cruz,  I  found  it  impossible  to  procure 
good  water  puncheons,  and  was  therefore  obliged  to  take  wine 
and  brandy  casks.  As  the  weather  was  very  warm,  our  water 
soon  became  extremely  bad,  and  would  rope  like  molasses,  and 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   BEIG  ENTERPRISE.  147 

was,  in  fact,  very  offensive  and  unwholesome.  This  was  a 
sore  evil,  and  whenever  we  could  catch  a  glass  of  rain  water, 
it  was  a  great  luxury. 

On  the  11th  of  September,  thirteen  days  after  passing  the 
Alacranes,  and  being  fairly  out  into  the  Bay  of  Mexico,  we  had 
hght  variable  winds  and  somewhat  squally  weather,  when  at 
about  11  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  there  were  several  water- 
spouts in  sight.  One  of  them  was  frightfully  large,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  about  a  mile  to  windward.  As  it  was  moving 
down  slowly  upon  us,  I  wore  sliip  and  steered  away  from  it ; 
but  the  wind  being  light,  there  seemed  to  be  no  way  of  escap- 
ing this  astounding  column  of  water,  which  appeared  to  be  con- 
nected with  an  immensely  large  cloud.  We  closed  every 
hatchway  and  commenced  firing  musket  balls  into  it,  and  at 
the  same  time  beating  with  axes  on  the  anchors  to  make  a 
jarring  noise.  It  had  approached  to  within  two  or  three  hun- 
dred yards  of  us,  when  there  sprung  up  a  light  breeze,  which 
enabled  us  to  escape  inevitable  destruction.  The  column  was 
several  hundred  feet  high,  and  extremely  large ;  a  few  mo- 
ments after  passing  us  it  broke,  and  thus  we  were  relieved 
from  our  perilous  situation.  Whether  the  firing  of  muskets 
and  beating  on  the  anchors  occasioned  it  to  break  sooner  than 
it  otherwise  would  have  done,  I  am  not  able  to  say ;  but  from 
what  I  saw  of  this  water-spout,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
ships  may  be  destroyed  by  similar  ones. 

Mr.  Brush,  one  of  my  passengers,  was  very  ill  with  the 
fever  and  ague,  and  we  had  no  medicine  on  board.  On  the  15th 
of  September,  I  fell  in  with,  and  boarded  the  schooner  Leo,  of 
New  Providence,  six  days  from  Pensacola,  bound  home. 
From  the  captain  of  this  vessel  I  purchased  a  barrel  of  Hour, 
and  he  kindly  gave  us  some  salts,  bark,  etc.  etc.,  for  Mr.  B., 
for  which  medicine  he  would  receive  no  compensation.  He 
was  a  humane,  kind  man,  and  I  regret  that  I  do  not  recollect 
his  name. 

For  many  days  after  this  we  had  contrary  winds,  and  our 
passage  thus  far,  has  been  long  and  extremely  disagreeable. 


148  VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  ENTERPRISE. 

On  the  24th  of  September  we  got  off  the  mouth  of  the  Savan- 
nah River,  and  being  short  of  provisions  (having  been  out 
thirty-five  days),  I  determined  to  put  into  port  for  suppUes. 
Accordingly  the  next  day,  September  25th,  I  ran  into  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  anchored  at  Tybee  Island,  near  the 
lighthouse.  From  this  place  I  dispatched  my  boat  to  Savan- 
nah for  supplies  ;  and  after  getting  a  necessary  supply  of  sea- 
stores,  we  sailed  the  next  day  for  New- York.  In  eight  days 
after  we  got  safe  to  that  city  on  the  3d  of  October,  after  a  long 
and  very  dis'agreeable  passage  of  forty-three  days.  I  am  happy 
to  add  I  found  all  my  family  and  friends  well. 

The  Enterprise  had  a  short  run  to  New- York,  after  we 
separated  off  Cape  Catoche,  and  there  the  two  mutineers  were 
tried.  The  sailor,  Nicholas  Palamo,  was  allowed  to  testify 
for  the  State  against  the  mate.  Brown,  who  was  found  guilty, 
and  sentenced  to  be  hung  at  the  foreyard  of  the  schooner 
Retrieve,  on  Friday,  the  22d  of  October,  the  same  vessel  on 
board  of  which  he  had  committed  the  murder.  On  the  day 
appointed,  the  Retrieve  was  anchored  in  the  middle  of  the 
East  River,  between  New- York  and  Brooklyn,  and  thousands 
from  both  shores  witnessed  the  execution. 

The  voyage  in  the  Retrieve  being  now  settled,  I  had  the 
happiness  of  returning  again  to  the  bosom  of  my  family.  At  this 
period  I  owned  two  vessels,  the  ketch  Maria  and  the  schooner 
Catherine,  and  as  my  sister  was  in  very  delicate  healtli,  I  de- 
cided to  employ  them  in  the  freighting  business  between 
Wilmington,  N.  C,  and  the  West  Indies,  and  take  her  with  me 
to  the  first-named  place  to  spend  the  winter,  that  she  might 
have  the  benefit  of  a  softer  and  more  congenial  climate.  I  ap- 
pointed Mr.  David  Hepburn  to  command  the  Maria.  I  have, 
in  the  early  part  of  my  narrative,  noticed  Mr.  11.,  when  he 
went  cabin-boy  with  me  in  the  brig  Henry  and  Isabella,  in  the 
year  1809,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  day  (t846),  I 
have  never  ceased  to  feci  a  lively  interest  in  his  welfare. 
The  Maria  was  the  first  vessel  he  ever  commanded,  and  even 
then  he  was  a  most  efficient  captain.     He  was  for  many  years 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  BKIG  ENTERPRISE.  149 

after  this  period  employed  as  a  captain  and  supercargo,  and 
had  at  different  times  commanded  several  of  the  finest  ships 
belonging  to  New- York,  in  the  employment  of  Messrs.  N.  L. 
and  G.  Grisvvold,  in  the  East  India  trade ;  and  I  am  further- 
more happy  to  give  my  testimony,  not  only  to  his  abilities  as 
an  efficient  shipmaster,  but  to  state  that  he  was  a  person  of 
fine  talents,  and  a  most  excellent  man,  a  true-hearted,  kind 
friend,  and  every  way  worthy  of  the  highest  trust  and  confi- 
dence. 

As  these  short  West  India  voyages  can  have  very  little 
interest  for  the  general  reader,  I  will  pass  them  over,  and  com- 
mence another  to  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  in  the  sloop  Volusia. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SLOOP  VOLUSIA,  FEOM  NEW-YOEK  TO  ST.  JAGO 
DE  CUBA  AND  OMOA,  AND  FEOM  THENCE  TO  NEW-OELEANS, 
AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YOEK,  IN  THE  YEAES  1820  AND  1821. 


I  HAD  recently  returned  from  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  in  the 
U.  S.  brig  Enterprise,  and  during  that  voyage  I  had  made 
myself  acquainted  with  the  commerce  of  Truxillo  and  Omoa .; 
namely,  their  general  wants,  the  amount  of  their  imports 
and  exports.  I  found  that  commerce  in  these  places  was 
transacted  on  a  very  small  scale,  and  mostly  confined  to  a 
retail  business,  still,  when  taken  in  the  aggregate,  it  amounted 
to  a  considerable  sum  in  the  course  of  a  year.  I  also  learned 
that  small  sloops  and  schooners  were  better  adapted  to  this 
trade  than  larger  and  more  burthensome  vessels.  At  this  time 
I  owned  a  large  schooner,  named  Catherine,  and  as  she  was 
not  adapted  to  the  trade,  I  exchanged  her  for  a  sloop  called 
the  Volusia,  and  although  this  vessel  was  old  and  of  small 
value,  I  concluded  she  would  last  for  one  winter  in  a  mild 
climate.  She  was  eighty-three  tons  per  register,  and  required 
but  few  men.  Soon  after  I  came  in  possession  of  this  vessel,  I 
sold  one  half  of  her  to  Captain  Nathan  Gillet.  We  were 
natives  of  the  same  town  in  Connecticut,  and  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  each  other  from  our  earliest  years.  I  knew 
Captain  G.  to  be  an  honest  man  and  a  good  seaman,  and 
thought  we  should  do  very  well  together.  We  agreed  to  load 
the  sloop  for  our  joint  account,  and  to  have  but  one  common 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  151 

interest,  he  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  captain,  and  I  as  super- 
cargo. 

We  accordingly  loaded  the  Yohisia  with  an  assorted  cargo, 
consisting  of  flour,  beef,  pork,  cliairs,  hams,  tobacco,  and 
sundry  other  things  ;  among  others  we  took  several  perishable 
articles,  such  as  apples  and  other  fruits.  The  whole  amount 
of  our  invoice  at  sailing  was  $1,600,  Our  plan  was  to  touch 
first  at  St,  Jago,  on  the  south  side  of  Cuba,  and  there  dispose 
of  all  our  perishable  articles,  and  such  other  goods  as  would 
sell  at  a  large  profit ;  replace  them  with  the  produce  of  that 
island,  and  proceed  from  thence  down  to  Omoa,  and  dispose  of 
the  remainder.  We  accordingly  loaded  the  sloop,  and  got 
ready  for  sea,  with  two  mates,  two  seamen,  and  a  cook,  who 
was  also  the  steward.  We  sailed  from  New- York  on  the  10th 
of  December,  1820,  bound  for  St,  Jago,  and  had  moderate 
breezes  and  fine  weather  during  the  first  three  or  four  days. 
We  struck  the  Gulf  Stream  on  the  fourth  day  out,  and  fotmd 
the  temperature  of  the  water  from  73°  to  76°  Fahrenheit, 
while  the  temperature  of  the  air  was  only  68°. 

The  next  day,  December  15th,  in  lat.  36°  N.,  long,  70°  38' 
W.,  after  getting  to  the  southward  of  the  Gulf,  the  temperature 
was  only  68°.  We  steered  to  the  southward,  intending  to 
make  Turk's  Island,  and  met  with  no  incident  worth  relating 
during  the  rest  of  the  passage  out  to  the  before-named  islands. 
The  weather  was  generally  good,  and  the  winds  moderate 
from  the  N.  E.  and  E.  N,  E.  On  the  27th  of  December,  I 
took  two  good  lunar  observations  of  the  sun  and  moon,  and 
found,  by  the  mean  of  the  two,  that  we  were  in  longitude  69° 
4' W, 

The  next  day,  December  28th,  at  meridian,  we  made 
Turk's  Island,  bearing  west  twelve  miles  distant,  and  thus 
found  our  observations  correct.  We  ran  down  under  its  lee, 
and  within  three  or  four  miles  of  the  town,  and  saw  a  great 
many  heaps  of  salt  as  we  passed  this  famous  salt  isle.  In  an- 
other hour  after  we  passed  near  Sand  Key,  and  sailed  pleasantly 
through  the  passage  with  a  fine  N.  E.  trade  wind.     The  next 


152  VOYAGE   m  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

day,  we  saw  the  islands  of  St.  Domingo  and  Cuba,  and  thus 
continued  on  our  course  until  we  arrived  at  St.  Jago  de  Cuba, 
on  the  30th  of  December,  after  a  pleasant  passage  of  nineteen 
days  from  New- York. 

At  this  place  I  consigned  my  vessel  to  Messrs.  Cartmel  & 
Giraud.  I  had  met  with  these  gentlemen  in  St.  Bartholomew, 
in  1809,  and  subsequently  saw  a  great  deal  of  them  in  New- 
York,  and  am  now  happy  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  speak  of 
them  as  they  deserve  ;  and  if  my  feeble  testimony  can  add 
in  the  smallest  degree  to  an  appreciation  of  their  merit,  it  will 
give  me  heartfelt  pleasure.  I  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  men 
in  my  wanderings  about  the  world,  and  have  found  many  kind 
and  truly  benevolent  persons,  but  never  have  I  met  with  more 
true  hospitality  and  pure  benevolence  than  was  concentrated 
in  these  worthy  men.  They  were  full  of  talent  and  kind 
feeling.  The  first  named  gentleman  was  an  Englishman,  and 
the  latter  an  American,  and  I  with  pleasure  add  that  they  were 
both  an  honor  to  their  respective  countries.  Daniel  Giraud, 
Esq.,  was  the  American  consul,  residing  here,  and  was  beloved 
and  esteemed  by  all  classes  of  people.  At  a  later  period,  I 
met  him  in  Paris,  soon  after  his  return  from  a  long  tour  up 
the  Nile  ;  he  read  me  his  notes  on  those  parts  of  Egypt  which 
he  had  recently  visited  ;  the  different  scenes  and  objects  were 
graphically  portrayed.  I  was  particularly  interested  in  his  re- 
marks on  the  great  Pyramid  of  Cheops  ;  his  was  altogether 
the  best  and  most  vivid  description  of  that  everlasting  monu- 
ment of  time  I  have  ever  read.  1  advised  him  to  have  it  pub- 
lished, for  the  benefit  of  those  who  have  not  had  the  pleasure 
of  standing  on  its  sunmiit,  or  visiting  that  interesting  country, 
so  full  of  historical  recollections ;  but  this  he  strenuously  re- 
fused. My  friend  G.  is  one  of  that  class  of  modest,  unobtru- 
sive men,  who  shrink  from  the  public  gaze,  and  whose  self- 
respect  and  difildcnce  will  not  expose  themselves  to  the  gall 
and  bitterness  of  merciless  critics,  or  the  coarse  remarks  of 
those  who  cannot  appreciate  their  high  and  honorable  motives  ; 
they  therefore  keep  the  rich  productions  of  their  minds  and 
valuable  information  locked  up  from  the  world. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  153 

The  next  day  after  our  arrival,  Messrs.  Cartmel  &  Giraud 
sold  a  considerable  portion  of  our  cargo  at  high  prices,  and  we 
had  hauled  alongside  of  the  wharf  to  discharge  what  we  had 
disposed  of,  when  an  order  came  from  the  Governor  for  us  to 
leave  the  port  forthwith,  and  further  added,  that  we  should  not 
land  a  single  article,  for  the  alleged  reason,  that  we  had  brought 
no  certificate  from  the  Spanish  Consul  in  New- York,  proving 
that  the  cargo  was  American  property.  This  was  a  sad  dis- 
appointment to  all  our  hopes  and  prospects,  particularly  as  it 
respected  the  perishable  part  of  the  cargo,  such  as  forty  bar- 
rels of  apples,  and  other  articles  subject  soon  to  decay  in  a 
hot  climate  like  this.  I  could  have  replaced  these  articles  by 
other  merchandise  suitable  to  the  Omoa  market,  at  extremely 
low  prices  ;  but  this  I  was  not  permitted  to  do,  and  as  the 
Governor  had  the  power  in  his  own  hands,  we  were  forced  to 
submit  to  our  hard  destiny,  and  suffer  from  the  whim  or  ca- 
price of  a  single  individual.  This  may  be  law,  but  I  think 
there  is  very  little  of  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  in  such  treatment 
as  we  received  from  this  man. 

Thus,  after  lying  here  a  week,  and  being  put  to  considera- 
ble expense,  we  were  forced  to  leave  the  port  without  being 
able  to  land  a  single  article  of  our  cargo.  Before  leaving,  I 
will  make  a  few  remarks  on  St.  Jago  de  Cuba,  or  as  this  name 
means  when  translated  into  English,  Saint  James  of  the  Cask  or 
Pipe.  This  town  contains  about  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  in- 
habitants, of  whom  about  one-third  part  are  white,  say  10,000, 
and  the  other  two-thirds  negroes  and  mulattoes.  It  lies  in  lat. 
19°  58'  N.,  long.  76°  0'  W.  It  has  a  spacious  port,  very  much 
like  the  Havana,  except  that  at  the  entrance  of  St.  Jago,  the 
course  is  north,  up  the  harbor,  while  at  the  Havana,  it  is 
south.  So  that  in  sailing  up  these  harbors,  the  course  is  in  di- 
rectly opposite  points  of  the  compass.  The  entrance  at  its 
mouth,  like  that  of  the  Havana,  is  narrow,  but  soon  widens 
into  a  safe  and  perfectly  well  sheltered  harbor,  and  is  generally 
safe  from  all  winds.  The  town  is  tolerably  well  built ;  many 
of  the  houses  are  large,  and  constructed  of  stone,  with  broad 


154  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

Streets.  It  has  a  cathedral  and  several  other  churches.  This 
city,  however,  is  so  hemmed  in  by  high  hills,  that  the  fresh 
air  does  not  circulate  freely,  and  therefore  renders  the  place 
very  unhealthy  during  the  rainy  season,  when  the  yellow  fe- 
ver rages  frightfully,  and  is  particularly  destructive  to  foreign- 
ers. But  with  all  these  disadvantages,  it  is  a  desirable  place 
for  trade,  and  the  most  important  city  on  the  island  (with  the 
exception  of  the  Havana)  in  a  commercial  poiui  of  view. 

1  will  here  resume  the  thread  of  my  narrative,  and  com- 
mence by  stating  that  after  having  been  detained  here  six  days 
upon  expense,  we  again  sailed  from  this  place  on  the  6th  of 
January  for  the  port  of  Omoa,  in  the  Bay  of  Honduras.  Du- 
ring the  first  day  out,  we  had  light  variable  winds  and  rain. 
The  next  day  it  cleared  up,  when  we  had  a  light  N.  E.  trade 
wind,  and  fine  weather.  We  passed  near  the  east  end  of  Ja- 
maica, and  ran  down  the  regular  course  for  the  island  of  Bo- 
naca,  which  island  we  made  on  the  10th  of  January,  four  days 
from  St.  Jago;  and  from  Bonaca  we  sailed  down  to  the 
southward  of  Rattan  Island,  and  kept  pretty  close  in  with  the 
main  land,  which  is  generally  high,  except  near  the  shore  for  a 
few  miles,  when  it  rises  until  it  becomes  mountainous  and  well 
covered  with  large  trees  and  bushes,  with  little  or  no  appear- 
ance of  cultivation  ;  and  one  can  easily  imagine  that  it  now 
appears  about  the  same  as  when  first  discovered  by  Columbus, 
in  1502.  Three  days  after  passing  Bonaca,  we  arrived  at 
Omoa,  on  the  13th  of  January,  seven  days  from  St.  Jago  de 
Cuba.  On  our  arrival  we  found  the  whole  community  re- 
joicing at  the  cessation  of  terrible  earthquakes  which  had  con- 
tinued for  several  weeks  previous  to  this  date,  and  had  now 
subsided.  The  inhabitants  had  but  recently  returned  to  their 
houses,  which  had  been  left  tenantless  for  a  space  of  three 
weeks.  Nealy  all  the  people  of  Omoa  had  encamped  in  tents 
and  bamboo  houses  out  on  an  open  plain  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
town,  bemg  afraid  to  remain  at  their  homes.  Many  of  the 
houses  had  been  cracked  and  badly  injured,  and  one  merchant 
with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  had  some  thirty  or  forty  dozen 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  155 

bottles  of  wine  and  porter  broken  and  destroyed  by  the  late 
earthquakes,  which  they  represented  as  very  severe  and  awful 
in  the  extreme.  Almost  every  body  had  something  to  relate 
about  the  frightful  "Trcmblors  de  Ticrra,"  and  how  much 
they  had  suffered  not  only  by  fear,  but  by  the  loss  of  property. 

We  soon  commenced  selling  our  little  cargo  ourselves, 
without  the  assistance  of  a  merchant.  In  small  places  like 
Omoa,  almost  every  person  in  the  village  is  individually  known, 
and  there  is  very  little  risk  of  making  bad  debts.  There  is 
no  merchant  in  the  place  able  or  willing  to  purchase  a  whole 
cargo,  so  that  one  is  obliged  to  dispose  of  the  goods  at  retail  to 
the  whole  town.  It  is  rather  a  tedious  way  of  doing  business, 
as  it  causes  much  delay,  and  consequently  a  great  waste  of 
time  in  the  eye  of  an  American,  but  not  so  to  these  people  ; 
they  appear  to  set  no  value  on  time,  and  always  take  an  hour 
or  two  in  the  middle  of  the  day  for  a  siesta.  I  have  on  a  for- 
mer voyage  observed  that  they  were  a  simple-hearted,  honest 
people,  and  am  siill  confirmed  in  this  opinion,  not  having  lost 
a  dollar  by  crediting  a  single  person  in  this  place.  But  like 
most  other  people  in  sultry  climates,  they  become  very  idle  and 
inactive.  The  ladies  of  the  upper  classes  (or  the  elite  of 
Omoa)  are  extremely  inefficient,  and  do  not  even  make  their  own 
clothing.  While  here,  I  saw  a  man  quilting  a  silk  underdress 
for  a  lady ;  I  asked  him  what  he  was  doing,  he  replied,  he  was 
making  a  dress  for  La  Sefiora.  I  then  said,  "  Do  the  ladies  not 
make  them  ?"  He  answered,  "  No,  they  do  not  know  how."  I 
inquired,  "  What  do  they  do,  how  do  they  employ  themselves  ?" 
He  replied,  "  Elles  Crian  sus  neilos,  y  se  descansan  en  sus  ham- 
acas." 

I  found  here  but  two  vessels,  namely,  an  American  schoon- 
er, from  and  belonging  to  Boston.  I  do  not  recollect  the  name 
of  the  vessel :  the  captain's  name  was  J.  W.  Baker.  He,  too, 
was  on  a  trading  voyage,  like  myself.  Captain  Baker  had 
touched  at  Truxillo,  and  sold  a  portion  of  his  cargo.  Here  he 
was  retailing  what  he  could  dispose  of  to  advantage,  and  was 
to  leave  Omoa  for  Balize,  an  English  settlement  at  the 


156  VOYAGE  IN   THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

bottom  of  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  where  he  expected  to  sell 
what  he  had  left,  and  from  thence  return  home  to  the  United 
States. 

Captain  Baker  was  a  highly  educated  man,  spoke  fluently 
four  languages,  was  tall  and  good-looking.  He  had  travelled 
a  great  deal  about  the  world,  and  was  extremely  agreeable. 
We  had  met  many  years  before  in  Lisbon,  and  were  now,  of 
course,  very  happy  to  meet  again  in  this  lonely  little  corner  of 
the  world,  so  remote  from  what  is  called  civilization. 

The  other  vessel  was  an  English  schooner  belonging  to 
the  Balize,  and  was  bound  on  a  trading  voyage  up  the  coast 
to  windward  of  Omoa,  at  sundry  landing  places  situated  in 
the  different  little  bays  between  Omoa  and  Truxillo.  I  do  not 
recollect  the  name  of  the  schooner  nor  that  of  the  captain,  but 
I  clearly  remember  the  name  of  the  supercargo,  Mr.  Fricker,  a 
fine,  warm-hearted,  gentlemanly  young  Englishman,  about 
twenty-three  or  twenty-five  years  of  age.  His  vessel  lay  here 
about  a  week,  and  during  that  period  I  saw  him  daily.  We 
formed  an  attachment  for  each  other,  and  although  almost  a 
stranger,  I  felt  a  great  interest  in  Mr.  F.  from  his  warm-hearted, 
confiding  character.  The  day  before  he  left  port,  I  took  sup- 
per with  him  on  board  of  his  vessel,  and  the  next  morning  be- 
fore he  sailed  went  on  board  to  take  leave  of  my  young  friend, 
while  the  schooner  was  getting  under  way ;  little  dreaming 
of  the  sad  catastrophe  which  awaited  his  early  career. 

After  lying  at  Omoa  about  a  fortnight,  we  succeeded  in 
retailing  about  two-thirds  of  our  cargo  at  pretty  fair  prices. 
We  received  our  pay  for  the  portion  of  the  cargo  sold  here  in 
silver  dollars,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  ceroons  of  sarsa- 
parilla. 

All  along  this  coast  are  immense  forest  trees  and  jungle,  or 
brushwood.  The  frequent  and  copious  rains,  aided  by  the 
burning  sun  in  this  hot  climate,  cause  excessive  vegetation, 
and  consequently  render  this  country  extremely  unhealthy; 
and  so  it  will  probably  continue  to  be,  until  the  hand  of  man 
shall  subdue  the  forest,  clear  the  underwood,  and  thus  let  in 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  157 

the  sun  to  absorb  the  humidity,  A  stranger  from  a  higher 
northern  latitude  is  forcibly  struck  with  the  saUow  and  siciily 
appearance  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  coast,  which  is  certainly 
uncongenial  to  the  white  race.  Negroes  are  adapted  to  this 
sultry  climate ;  the  mulattoes  and  mixed  breeds  also  thrive 
very  well ;  it  is  universally  conceded  that  the  mulatto  and 
quadroon  women  are  more  healthy  and  better  looking  than 
the  white  ladies.  Although  Divine  Providence  has  in  this 
country  withheld  from  the  white  man  health  and  a  full  develop- 
ment of  his  physical  and  mental  faculties,  yet  He  has  in  no 
way  denied  to  the  lower  animals  of  His  creation  a  large  field 
of  action,  and  protection  from  the  destructive  hand  of  man. 
The  widespread  forests  abound  with  wild  animals  and  game 
of  every  description.  In  Omoa  I  purchased  several  skhis  of 
wild  animals,  and  among  others,  one  of  what  is  here  called 
the  tiger  cat.  It  was  beautifully  spotted  like  the  Bengal 
tiger,  but  from  a  much  smaller  animal.  I  was  told  that  these 
tiger  cats  were  very  numerous.  Wild  monkeys  are  also 
found  here  in  great  numbers ;  and  a  young  monkey  roasted,  is 
considered  by  many  in  this  country  as  a  great  delicacy.  In  a 
little  hunting  excursion  in  this  neighborhood,  I  shot  a  macaw, 
a  bird  of  the  parrot  genus,  but  very  large  ;  it  had  a  beautiful 
plumage,  the  predominant  colors  of  which  were  bright  red  and 
deep  sky-blue,  beautifully  shaded  with  green  and  yellow. 
We  saw  large  flocks  of  wild  parrots,  and  a  great  variety  of 
birds  of  flaming  colors,  and  others  with  brilliant,  variegated 
plumages,  that  are  never  seen  in  high  latitudes  ;  in  fine,  I 
found  that  in  this  country  as  in  other  hot  climates,  the  greater 
part  of  the  birds  and  fish  are  decked  by  Providence  in  gor- 
geous colors,  such  as  are  never  found  in  colder  regions. 

After  taking  in  a  few  boat  loads  of  stone  ballast,  we  sailed 
for  Truxillo  on  the  1st  of  February. 

For  two  days  after  leaving  port  we  met  with  strong  E.  N. 
E.  trade  winds  and  a  lee  current ;  we  made  but  little  progress 
beating.  The  sloop  was  too  light  for  turning  to  windward, 
and  we  therefore  decided  to  run  into  one  of  the  little  bays  and 


158  VOYAGE  IIS"  THE   SLOOP   VOLUSIA. 

take  ill  more  ballast,  and  perhaps  at  the  same  time  dispose  X)f 
the  residue  of  the  cargo  still  remaining  on  board.  Thus,  on 
the  4th  of  February,  we  ran  in  and  anchored  in  one  of  the 
small  bays,  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  to  the  windward  of 
Omoa,  in  order  to  obtain  more  ballast,  and  one  or  two  boat 
loads  of  firewood ;  and  for  this  purpose  went  on  shore.  We 
saw  no  house  or  settlement.  The  whole  country  appeared 
like  a  wild,  uncultivated  waste  of  trees  and  bushes.  The 
captain  and  myself  were  walking  along  the  sand  beach,  when 
we  discovered  something  floating  in  the  surf  We  approached 
the  object,  and  judge  of  my  surprise,  when  I  saw  the  corpse  of 
my  young  friend  Fricker !  We  lifted  his  lifeless  body  from 
the  water,  carried  it  abov^e  high-water, mark,  and  covered  it 
with  bushes  to  keep  olf  the  flies,  and  then  went  in  pursuit  of 
our  boat,  to  take  the  bocij'-  of  poor  Fricker  on  board  of  our  ves- 
sel, and  prepare  a  coffin  to  inter  the  remains. 

Shortly  after  this,  we  met  the  mate  and  two  of  the  crew 
belonging  to  the  English  schooner,  who  were  in  search  of  the 
body.  They  stated  the  schooner  was  lying  in  the  next  bay  to 
windward ;  that  the  day  before,  Mr.  Fricker  was  drowned  by 
the  upsetting  of  their  boat,  while  eiideavoring  to  land  in  a 
high  surf,  and  that  the  lee  current  during  the  night  had  taken 
his  body  to  the  place  where  we  found  it.  The  mate  took  the 
remains  of  the  young  man  immediately  on  board,  and  returned 
with  it  to  his  family  at  the  Balize.  Here  ended  this  tragical 
and  very  melancholy  catastrophe,  which  will  never  be  entirely 
effiiccd  from  my  mind.  And  thus  I  exclaimed,  "  Alas !  what 
shadows  we  are — .what  shadows  we  pursue  !" 

We  saw  no  inhabitants  at  this  place  except  about  half  a 
dozen  villanous-looking  fellows,  each  ^armed  with  long  knives 
and  machetes.  They  said  if  we  would  remain  a  day  or  two, 
they  would  go  to  some  town  or  village  in  the  interior,  where 
they  would  collect  a  large  numl)cr  of  men,  and  bring  down 
sarsapaiilla.  and  open  a  trade  for  whatever  we  had  to  dispose 
of  I  did  not,  however,  like  the  appearance  of  these  fellows  ; 
besides,  I  iiad  heard  while  in  Omoa,  some  sad  tales  about  the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP   VOLUSIA.  159 

inhabitants  of  this  part  of  the  coast,  the  substance  of  which 
was  as  follows  :  that  when  Spain  in  former  times  used  to  send 
convicts  to  the  Castle  of  Omoa,  they  were  occasionally  par- 
doned or  released  from  prison,  and  that  they  would  not  long 
remain  to  be  watched  and  despised,  and  that  the  most  of  them, 
as  a  last  resource,  had  fled  to  this  part  of  the  country. 

They  said  also,  that  sometimes  a  convict  would  make  his 
escape  and  join  this  roving  band  of  desperate  villains.  They 
were  represented  as  having  no  permanent  home,  but  leading  a 
sort  of  roving  Arab  kind  of  life,  and  in  the  lowest  condition  of 
moral  depravity,  always  living  in  a  state  of  dread  and  fear, 
having  no  confidence  at  all  in  each  other.  These  stories  were 
probably  highly  colored,  but  with  many  grains  of  charitable 
allowance,  1  have  no  doubt  they  are  a  most  degraded  race. 

After  getting  a  little  ballast  and  firewood,  we  made  sail 
again  the  same  day,  and  continued  to  beat  up  for  Truxillo,  and 
on  the  8th  of  February  anchored  in  the  bay  nearly  opposite 
the  town.  As  wc  had  but  a  small  part  of  our  cargo  remain- 
ing, we  soon  retailed  it  to  the  inhabitants.  Here  I  got  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  trading  part  of  the  community,  and 
ascertained  what  they  most  wanted,  and  took  samples  and  a 
memorandum  of  a  great  variety  of  articles. 

I  told  the  Governor  and  all  the  principal  people,  if  they 
would  give  me  any  encouragement  to  return,  that  in  about 
seven  or  eight  weeks  I  would  come  back  from  New  Orleans 
with  another  cargo.  They  all  promised  to  purchase  freely, 
and  to  allow  me  a  fair  profit  on  whatever  I  should  bring,  if 
brought  according  to  their  directions. 

On  the  24th  of  February  we  sailed  from  Truxillo,  bound 
for  New  Orleans,  and  had  on  board  for  cargo  .s3,S00  Spanish 
dollars,  sixteen  ceroons  of  sarsaparilla,  ten  bales  ditto,  besides 
some  things  which  I  could  not  dispose  of,  namely,  one  hogshead 
of  leaf  tobacco,  forty  boxes  of  smoked  herring,  and  a  few 
other  trilling  articles.  We  had  rather  a  pleasant  passage,  and 
met  with  nothing  worthy  of  remark  until  we  arrived  off  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  5th  of  IMarch,  nine  days  from 


160  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

Truxillo,  all  well.  In  consequence  of  foggy  weather,  we  were 
detained  two  days  off  the  Balize,  before  we  got  into  the  river. 
We  had  a  long  and  tedious  passage  up,  and  did  not  arrive  at 
New  Orleans  until  the  24th  of  March. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival,  Capt.  Giliet  and  myself  divided 
our  funds,  when  I  purchased  hack  his  half  of  the  sloop,  and 
commenced  loading  the  Volusia  again  for  Truxillo,  on  my 
own  account.  Captain  G.  returned  home  to  New-York.  I 
retained  the  same  mates,  the  two  seamen,  and  my  faithful 
black  steward,  Domingo,  and  thus  commenced  buying  another 
cargo,  the  greater  part  of  which,  suitable  for  Truxillo  and 
Omoa,  was  now  very  low  and  abundant.  I  bought  one  hun- 
dred barrels  of  excellent  flour,  at  two  dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents,  hams  at  six  cents  per  pound,  and  a  great  many  other 
articles  at  very  low  prices  ;  even  commodities  brought  from 
the  northern  States,  were  about  as  cheap  here,  as  in  New- 
York  or  Boston.  I  purchased  a  great  variety  of  goods  and 
merchandise. 

The  whole  invoice  amounted  to  $2,000,  and  after  getting 
ready  for  sea,  I  left  New  Orleans  on  the  8th  of  April,  and  the 
next  day,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  got  down  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  where,  meeting  no  pilot,  I  proceeded  to  sea 
without  one,  and  steered  on  our  course  for  Truxillo. 

I  met  with  no  incident  during  this  passage  worth  relating; 
we  generally  had  pleasant  trade  winds  and  fine  weather,  and. 
after  a  passage  of  twelve  days,  arrived  ofl'  the  port,  having 
been  absent  eight  weeks. 

Before  leaving  Truxillo,  I  had  told  the  inhabitants  to  look 
out  for  me  on  the  20th  of  April,  and  that  when  I  arrived  off 
the  port,  I  would  show  a  white  flag  under  the  American  en- 
sign, tliat  they  might  instantly  recognize  my  sloop. 

I  did  not  arrive  on  the  20th,  but  by  good  fortune,  I  got  off" 
the  harbor  on  the  21st,  in  the  morning,  and  when  they  saw 
my  signal  flying,  several  boats,  with  many  of  the  most  re- 
spectable ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  place  came  on  board  as 
soon  as  wc  dropped  our  anchor,  and  gave  me  a  hearty  wel- 
come to  Truxillo. 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  161 

The  inhabitants  of  this  place,  hke  the  people  of  Omoa,  I 
found  very  honest.  I  allowed  them  to  take  away  whatever 
they  bought  without  the  least  fear  of  incurring  a  loss,  and  in 
the  course  of  a  week,  when  I  called  for  the  money,  it  was  al- 
ways ready ;  I  am,  moreover,  happy  to  add,  that  I  never  lost 
a  dollar  in  giving  credit  to  any  person  in  tliis  town.  I  soon 
sold  the  little  cargo  I  brought  here,  and  at  very  fair  prices. 

At  this  period,  Truxillo  and  all  the  neighboring  provinces 
belonged  to  old  Spain,  and  the  inhabitants  were  in  constant 
fear  of  attacks  from  the  brigs  and  schooners-of-war  belonging 
to  the  Carthaginian  navy ;  both  this  town  and  Omoa  had 
been  once  or  twice  assaulted,  but  had  thus  far  defended  them- 
selves and  adhered  to  Spain,  and  were  still  its  colonies.  In 
order  to  strengthen  the  forts  at  Truxillo,  the  Governor  had  sent 
to  the  Havana  for  two  long  brass  twenty-four  pound  guns. 
These  two  cannons  were  sent  down  to  Truxillo  in  a  small 
vessel  some  weeks  before  I  arrived,  and  while  in  the  act  of 
landing,  one  of  them  unfortunately  slipped  out  of  the  slings, 
fell  overboard,  and  sunk  in  four  fathoms  of  water.  They 
were  unable  to  get  it  up,  and  the  small  vessel  returned  to  the 
Havana,  and  left  this  fine  long  gun  on  the  bottom. 

On  my  arrival,  the  Governor  inquired  of  me  whether  I 
could  raise  the  gun  and  get  it  on  shore.  He  said  it  was  very 
important  to  the  community  that  it  should  be  recovered  and 
mounted  to  defend  the  town,  in  case  they  were  again  attacked. 
I  replied  that  if  he  would  supply  me  with  ten  or  fifteen  men, 
that  with  them  and  my  crew  I  would  raise  the  gun  and  bring 
it  on  shore.  He  readily  embraced  my  offer,  and  promised  me 
every  favor  I  could  ask  in  the  way  of  compensation,  such  as 
remitting  a  large  portion  of  my  duties,  etc..  etc.  I  told  him  I 
required  nothing  more  than  a  fair  remuneration  for  the  labor 
of  my  crew,  and  the  detention  of  my  vessel  for  two  days.  All 
this  he  promised,  and  a  thousand  times  more.  Accordingly, 
the  next  morning  I  hauled  my  vessel  to  the  spot,  and  as  the 
water  was  very  clear  and  the  bottom  hard  sand.  I  soon  got 
lafge,  new  ropes  fastened  to  the  gun,  and  with  a  suitable  pur- 
11 


162  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

chase  applied  to  the  windlass  of  the  Volusia,  hove  it  up  along- 
side of  the  vessel ;  but  now  the  great  difficulty  was  to  get  it 
on  shore  ;  there  was  no  boat  large  enough  to  float  it,  and  no 
suitable  timber  in  the  town  to  make  a  raft.  At  length,  some 
logs  were  found,  with  which,  together  with  what  boards  1  had  on 
board,  my  people  constructed  a  raft,  and  the  next  day  the  gun 
was  taken  on  shore,  when  some  two  or  three  hundred  men, 
with  ropes  and  rollers,  transported  it  to  the  fort,  where  it  was 
mounted  in  great  triumph. 

But  mark  the  meanness  of  this  miserable  Governor ;  he 
gave  my  mates  and  crew  nothing,  and  notwithstanding  I  had 
injured  and  spoiled  a  great  deal  of  new  cordage,  he  made  me 
no  remuneration  for  the  damage,  and  in  the  way  of  favor  in 
remitting  duties,  it  was  only  a  piece  of  hypocritical  deception ; 
in  fine,  he  was  such  a  mean-spirited  wretch,  that  I  would  ac- 
cept nothing  at  his  hands,  and  every  honorable  man  in  the 
place  appeared  to  be  ashamed  of  his  conduct. 

TVhat  a  contrast  between  this  paltry  upstart,  and  the  good 
old  Governor  of  Omoa  !  The  latter  was  fit  for  an  emperor, 
the  former  only  for  a  spy  or  informer. 

The  town  of  Truxillo  is  situated  at  the  head  of  a  bay, 
of  the  same  name,  and  lies  in  lat.  15°  54'  N.,  long.  86°  2'  W. 
The  bay  is  about  four  leagues  wide,  and  five  deep  ;  it  is  spa- 
cious, and  easy  to  navigate,  having  good  anchorage  in  from 
five  to  twenty  fathoms  of  water,  according  to  the  distance 
from  the  shore.  The  anchorage  from  Truxillo  is  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  town  in  five  fathoms  of  water, 
which  is  pleasantly  located  on  the  side  of  a  hill  of  a  moderate 
height,  and  contains,  I  should  think,  about  fifteen  hundred  to 
two  thousand  inhabitants.  Some  of  the  houses  are  well  built, 
and  it  is  rather  a  pleasant  place ;  it  is  better  situated,  more 
healthy,  and  altogether  a  more  desirable  residence  tlran  Onioa. 
It  is  defended  by  three  forts,  which  at  this  time  were  manned 
by  about  three  hundred  soldiers. 

The  inhabitants,  like  those  of  Omoa,  are  a  simple-hearted, 
honest  people.     They  appear  to  be  a  mixed  breed,  of  Spanish 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SLOOP   VOLUSIA.  163 

and  the  original  natives  of  the  coinitiy.  There  were  also  here 
a  considerable  number  of  Caribs,  some  of  the  oldest  of  whom 
were  brought  from  the  Island  of  St.  Vincent,  West  Indies,  by 
order  of  the  British  Government,  and  placed  on  the  Island  of 
Rattan,  in  the  year  1794.  There  were  at  that  time,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  families.  These  people  are 
the  descendants  of  the  original  inhabitants  of  St.  Vincent, 
which  island  was  discovered  by  Columbus,  in  1493.  After 
remaining  at  Rattan  about  six  months,  they  sent  several  of 
their  leaders  to  Truxillo,  to  obtain  permission  from  the  public 
authorities  to  come  to  the  continent  with  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  settle  among  the  Spaniards.  Their  request  was 
granted,  when  they  all  left  the  island  of  Rattan,  and  came  to 
Truxillo.  Some  few  remained  there,  and  the  rest  of  them 
settled  themselves  about  a  league  S.  W.  of  that  town,  where 
they  formed  a  village,  which  they  and  their  descendants  still 
occupy.  I  am  told  they  have  increased  to  some  twenty-five 
hundred  in  number,  and  are  rather  an  industrious  people.  I 
sold  goods  to  some  of  them,  and  found  them  punctual  and 
honest  in  their  dealings. 

I  saw  a  group  of  some  six  or  eight  of  these  old  Indians 
and  their  wives,  in  Truxillo,  who  were  on  a  visit  from  their 
village  in  the  neighborhood,  and  I  was  told  that  they  origi- 
nally came  from  St.  Vincent.  They  appeared  quite  old,  and 
were  clad  in  the  Indian  style,  with  loose  dresses  wrapped 
round  them,  their  heads  adorned  with  gay  feathers,  their  faces 
painted,  and  rings  in  their  ears,  and  some  of  them  even  in 
their  noses. 

They  were,  indeed,  a  remnant  of  a  once  numerous  race  of 
men,  now  almost  extinct.  They  arc  a  living  monument  of 
the  history  of  the  Caribs,  and  carry  the  mind  back  to  the  days 
when  they  were  fust  discovered  by  Columbus.  No  one  can 
look  upon  them  but  with  a  feeling  of  sympathy  for  tlie  wrongs 
and  persecutiojis  they  and  their  ancestors  have  sutTered  from 
the  sordid  avarice  of  the  white  man. 

I  regretted  that  my  short  stay  at  Truxillo  would  not  ad- 


164  VOYAGE   IlSr  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

mit  of  my  visiting  their  village,  and  hearing  from  their  own 
lips  their  history  and  present  situation.  The  younger  portion 
of  this  little  community  speak  Spanish,  and  the  older  ones  un- 
derstand enough  of  it  to  make  themselves  understood,  though 
they  communicate  with  each  other  in  their  native  tongue. 

After  remaining  fifteen  days  at  Truxillo,  I  left  the  port  on 
the  6th  of  May,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  stood  out 
of  Truxillo  Bay  for  the  island  of  Bonaca,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing, at  seven  o'clock,  got  under  the  lee  or  the  xvest  end  of  the 
island,  where  I  stood  off  and  on  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  went 
on  shore  in  my  boat  in  pursuit  of  a  safe  harbor.  I  soon  found 
a  snug  little  bay,  and  after  sounding  and  exploring  it,  return- 
ed and  beat  the  sloop  into  port,  and  came  safe  to  anchor  in 
four  fathoms  of  water  within  three  cables'  length  of  the  shore. 
It  was  a  safe  harbor  with  a  fine  sand  beach  all  around  it,  with 
abundance  of  cocoanut-trees  growing  all  along  the  shore  and 
on  the  sand  beach,  even  down  to  the  edge  of  the  salt  water. 
There  were  no  inhabitants  on  the  island.  I  touched  at  this 
place  to  collect  cocoanuts  and  firewood,  and  also  to  obtain  a 
few  boat-loads  of  stone  ballast.  There  were  plenty  of  the 
former  growing  on  the  trees,  and  a  great  many  lying  on  the 
ground  under  them. 

As  I  intended  to  remain  here  for  some  days,  I  moored  the 
sloop,  got  every  thing  snug,  and  began  with  our  two  boats  to 
collect  and  bring  on  board  the  best  cocoanuts  we  could  find, 
both  from  those  lying  under,  and  also  from  the  trees.  The 
first  day  we  took  on  board  but  four  hundred,  the  next  day,  on 
the  Stli  of  May,  we  had  fine  weather  and  a  pleasant  breeze 
from  the  N.  E.  Both  boats  were  employed  in  getting  cocoa- 
nuts  which  we  found  in  a  bay  about  one  league  to  windward 
of  our  port.  This  day  we  collected  and  took  on  board  three 
thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty.  The  same  day  we  fell  in 
with  a  boat  from  Truxillo,  manned  with  four  men  ;  two  of 
whom  were  mulattocs  and  two  negroes.  They  were  in  pur- 
suit of  hawksbill  turtle  :  the  shell  from  this  species  is  very  valu- 
able.    These  people  had   set   nets  on  the  reefs  around   the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  165 

island,  and  to  each  net  was  attached  a  decoy  turtle  made  of 
wood.  In  this  way  they  had  ah-eady  caught  a  considerable 
number,  notwithstanding  they  had  been  here  but  about  a  week. 
From  them  I  purchased  three  large  green  turtle,  weighing 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds 
each.  These  fishermen  set  but  a  very  small  value  on  them, 
their  shell  being  good  for  nothing,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Truxillo  will  scarcely  purchase  them  at  any  price. 

May  9th,  fresh  trade-winds  from  the  E.  N.  E.,  and  clear, 
pleasant  weather.  While  the  mate  and  seamen  were  employ- 
ed collecting  cocoanuts  with  the  long-boat,  I  took  a  boy  with 
me  in  the  jolly-boat,  and  with  a  musket,  went  on  a  little  ex- 
ploring excursion  to  an  adjacent  bay  about  a  mile  to  the  north- 
ward of  where  my  vessel  lay  at  anchor.  This  being  the  first 
anchorage  on  our  arrival,  I  called  it  after  my  sloop,  Volusia 
Bay.  This  small  harbor  was  to  us  a  sort  of  central  point, 
from  which  we  started  every  morning  in  piu'suit  of  any  object 
of  profit  or  curiosity.  I  had  scarcely  landed,  before  I  discov- 
ered a  huge  snake  lying  apparently  in  a  torpid  state  by  the 
side  of  a  large  rock,  and  as  there  were  no  clubs  or  suitable 
sticks  at  hand,  I  told  the  boy  to  bring  me  one  of  the  boat's 
oars  in  order  to  kill  the  serpent.  I  took  it  for  this  purpose,  but 
on  the  first  stroke,  it  broke  ;  the  butt  end,  however,  made  me  a 
fine  club,  with  which  I  soon  dispatched  him,  as  I  thought ; 
when  we  tied  a  rope  to  him,  and  conveyed  him  to  the  boat. 
We  then  covered  him  with  cocoanuts,  and  started  for  the  v^es- 
sel,  at  anchor  in  the  next  bay.  Soon  after  leaving  the  shore, 
the  snake  revived  and  raised  his  head,  and  I  found  it  neces- 
sary to  beat  him  with  the  oar  to  keep  him  from  making  his  es- 
cape into  the  water.  We  soon,  however,  got  alongside  of  the 
sloop,  when  the  mate  cut  his  throat  and  opened  his  stomach, 
in  which  we  found  a  rabbit  partly  decayed,  which  weighed 
six  and  three-fourth  pounds.  The  serpent  was  a  boa-con- 
strictor, between  eight  and  nine  feet  long,  fourteen  inches  in 
circumference,  and  weighing  eighteen  poiuids.  I  gave  it  to  the 
mate,   Mr.  Sandy,  who  skinned   him,  and  after  keeping  the 


166  VOYAGE   US"  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

skin  ill  a  strong  pickle  for  several  days,  stuffed  it  with  dry 
oakum,  and  thus  preserved  it  in  a  perfect  state.  On  our  re- 
turn Mr.  S.  sold  it  to  the  proprietor  of  the  New- York  Museum, 
for  twenty  dollars. 

In  order  to  keep  fresh  and  liealthy  the  three  turtles  I  had 
purchased  here,  I  took  them,  by  the  advice  of  the  fishermen, 
to  what  they  call  a  turtle  crawl,  which  is  made  by  driving 
stakes  into  the  sand  beach  just  below  the  edge  of  the  sea,  so 
that  they  may  swim  in  the  water  and  still  not  be  able  to  make 
their  escape.  In  this  place  I  secured  them,  and  then  returned 
on  board  my  vessel.  I  had  not  been  there  long  before  we 
heard  a  loud  splashing  of  the  water,  and  a  great  commotion  in 
the  turtle  crawl.  I  immediately  took  a  musket  and  went  to 
ascertain  what  was  the  matter.  On  my  arrival  there,  I  found 
an  enormous  alligator  had  just  made  his  escape  from  the  crawl. 
He  was,  I  should  judge,  about  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  and 
swam  so  low  in  the  water  that  I  could  not  harm  him  with  a 
musket  ball ;  he  soon  eluded  us  and  made  his  escape.  I  then 
removed  the  turtle  on  board,  and  found  one  of  them  with  his 
flippers  bitten  off,  and  one  of  the  others  badly  mangled  by  the 
teeth  of  this  sly  and  powerful  monster.  The  one  which  was 
so  badly  wounded,  we  killed  and  ate,  the  other  two  we  brought 
to  New- York. 

This  day,  just  after  sunset,  we  saw  a  very  large  and  bril- 
liant meteor.  It  appeared  like  an  immense  ball  of  fire  shoot- 
ing from  the  south  in  a  northerly  direction,  and  what  rendered 
it  more  remarkable  to  me,  was,  that  it  was  so  distinctly  seen 
while  it  was  still  twilight,  and  only  one  star  in  the  heavens 
visible. 

May  10th. — This  day  we  had  a  continuation  of  the  north- 
east trade-winds,  and  clear,  pleasant  weather.  I  sent  the 
mate  and  crew  of  the  long-boat  in  pursuit  of  cocoanuts,  which 
had  become  rather  scarce.  They  had  to  go  to  a  greater  dis- 
tance than  heretofore,  even  to  the  windward  side  of  the  island, 
to  obtain  good  ones.  I  then  took  a  man  with  me,  and  being 
armed  with  muskets,  we  endeavored  to  cross  the  island,  and, 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  167 

if  possible,  to  shoot  some  wild  hogs,  of  which  there  are  enough 
here.  Upon  entering  the  bushes,  however,  we  found  the  un- 
derwood so  thick,  that  we  could  not  penetrate  far  into  the 
interior,  and  were  obliged  to  return.  We  started  several  of 
them,  but  the  bushes  were  so  thick  that  we  shot  none. 

May  Wth. — This  day  we  had  moderate  breezes  from  the 
E.  N.  E.,  and  open,  cloudy  weather.  The  cocoanuts  have 
now  become  scarce,  and  we  begin  to  tire  of  this  wild,  Robinson 
Crusoe  kind  of  life. 

Took  on  board  three  long-boat  loads  of  stone  ballast,  and 
several  loads  of  firewood,  filled  up  our  water-casks  with  pure, 
fresh  water,  and  began  to  get  ready  for  sea.  I  found,  on  ex- 
amination, that  we  had  collected  6640  cocoanuts,  and  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  plants  or  small  trees,  which  we  had  planted 
with  sand,  in  barrels  and  half-barrels. 

This  lonely,  but  interesting  island,  lies  in  latitude  16° 
24''  north,  longitude  86°  00'  west,  about  thirty  miles  north  of 
Truxillo,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  to  the  eastward  of  Rattan 
Island.  Bonaca  is  generally  of  a  moderate  height,  but  there 
are  several  high  hills  in  the  interior,  well  covered  with  trees 
and  bushes.  All  along  the  shore  are  numerous  cocoanut 
trees  growing  in  the  sand-beach,  and,  as  I  have  before  re- 
marked, they  frequently  grow  in  the  barren  sand,  in  the  surf, 
on  the  very  verge  of  the  ocean ;  and  thus  situated,  they  ap- 
pear to  thrive  better  than  higher  up  in  the  dry  soil.  I  should 
think  Bonaca  was  about  three  miles  long  and  two  broad.  It 
contains  several  fine  bays,  which  make  very  good  harbors  for 
small  vessels ;  and,  taking  every  thing  into  consideration,  I 
think  it  a  very  pleasant  little  island,  and  capable  of  supporting 
several  families  very  comfortably.  There  are  many  little  fer- 
tile spots,  which  might  be  easily  cnltivated.  The  climate, 
although  warm  and  sultry  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  is  never- 
theless cooled  and  refreshed  by  the  sea-breezes  in  the  after- 
noon, which  must  render  it  a  healthy  place.  Fish  and  turtle 
are  abundant,  so  that  a  few  families  could  live  here  with  very 
little  labor,  and  listen  to  the  gentle  wailing  of  the  ocean,  far 


168  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SLOOP  VOLUSIA. 

from  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  the  world  ;  and  I  know  of  no 
better  place  for  a  recluse,  or  one  satiated  with  the  vanities  of 
life,  than  Bonaca. 

May  12th. — This  day  commenced  with  moderate  breezes 
from  the  eastward,  and  fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  six  in  the 
morning,  hoisted  in  the  long-boat,  and  got  ready  for  sea.  At 
nine,  got  under  way,  and  sailed  out  of  Volusia  Bay,  bound  to 
New- York,  after  remaining  six  days  at  Bonaca. 

I  steered  to  the  northward,  with  a  pleasant  northeast  trade- 
wind,  and  had  fine  weather  for  three  days  after  sailing,  when 
we  made  Cape  Antonio,  and  the  land  about  the  west  end  of 
Cuba,  on  the  15th  of  May,  Five  days  after,  we  made  the 
Double-Headed  Shot  Keys,  and  from  thence  steered  to  the 
northward,  and  on  the  22d,  passed  near  Cat  Key.  From  this 
time  until  we  arrived  in  New- York,  on  the  30th  of  May,  I  find 
nothing  on  my  journal  worth  noticing.  We  made  the  passage 
from  Bonaca  to  New- York  in  eighteen  days,  and  I  am  happy 
to  add,  I  made  a  very  good  voyage,  or  rather,  two  little  ones, 
after  an  absence  of  five  months  and  twenty-one  days. 

On  my  return  to  Brooklyn  I  learned,  with  sorrow  and 
grief,  that  we  had  lost  our  only  daughter.  Soon  after  my 
arrival,  I  received  a  letter  from  Captain  Baker,  dated  from 
Martha's  Vineyard,  in  May,  1821,  from  which  the  following 
is  an  extract : 

"  Since  I  left  you  in  Omoa,  I  have  not  been  very  success- 
ful ;  my  mate  and  two  men  were  sick  with  the  Omoa  fever. 
I  lost  one  man,  and  this,  out  of  a  small  crew  of  five  in  number, 
was  extremely  unfortunate  for  me.  I  heard  in  the  Balize  of 
your  rescuing  poor  Fricker  from  a  watery  grave,  and  consign- 
ing him  to  an  earthly  one  ;  this  act  has  secured  you  the  grati- 
tude and  esteem  of  his  friends  and  connections  there,  and 
shoidd  you  ever  visit  that  place,  will  be  a  passport  to  their 
society.  When  I  reflect  on  the  nmtal)iHty  of  all  things  in  this 
world,  I  am  ready  to  repeat  the  sentiment  so  finely  expressed 
by  Goldsmith : 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SLOOP  VOLUSIA.  169 

"  Turn,  pilgrim,  turn,  thy  cares  forego, 
For  earth-born  cares  are  wrong ; 
Man  wants  but  little  here  below, 
Nor  wants  that  little  long." 

I  hope  to  hear  from  you  speedily,  and  remain 

Yours,  as  ever, 

J.  W.  B. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


VOYAGE  FROM  NEW-YOKK  TO  THE  HAVANA,  AND  BACK  TO  NEW- 
YOEK,  IN  THE  SCHOONER  SWAN,  IN  THE  YEAR  1823. 

In  the  month  of  April  of  this  year,  I  agreed  with  the  Messrs. 
G.  G.  &.  S.  Howland,  of  New- York,  to  perform  a  voyage  to 
the  Havana,  in  the  Schooner  Swan.  This  was  a  fine,  large, 
Baltimore-built  vessel,  three  years  old,  and  burthen  234  tons. 

We  took  in  an  assorted  cargo  on  freight,  for  the  Havana. 
The  object  of  this  voyage  was  twofold  with  the  owners — 
namely,  to  dispose  of  the  schooner  in  Cuba,  and  take  out  funds 
in  gold  to  load  a  ship,  belonging  to  them,  called  the  Cir- 
cassian. 

The  Messrs.  Rowlands  sent  out  a  young  man  with  me,  from 
their  counting-office,  to  purchase  a  cargo  of  sugar  and  coffee, 
at  Matanzas.  This  cargo  was  intended  for  the  Mediterranean 
market.  At  this  period  there  were  many  piratical  vessels 
marauding  the  West  Indies,  and  particularly  about  the  Island 
of  Cuba,  so  that  fast-sailing,  warlike-looking  vessels,  were 
preferred  to  any  other  description  of  ships ;  consequently,  the 
moment  the  Swan  was  announced  as  wanting  freight  for  the 
Havana,  the  whole  cargo  was  obtained  in  a  few  days,  and* 
thus  she  was  ready  for  sea  in  less  than  a  week,  with  a  full 
freight.  She  was  partially  armed.  We  had  four  six-pounders, 
sundry  muskets,  swords,  pistols,  etc.  The  crew  consisted  of 
two  mates,  with  fifteen  men  and  boys.  We  had  also  two 
cabin-passengers.     The  chief  mate's  name  was  L .  and  a 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  SWAN.  171 

poorer  and  more  inefficient  creature  ne\^er  officiated  as  mate  of 
a  vessel.  To  use  a  seaman's  phrase,  he  was  neither  soldier  nor 
sailor;  and  when  he  conld  obtain  liquor,  was  always  half-seas 
over.  With  this  mate,  and  a  very  inefficient  crew,  I  was  to 
perform  a  voyage  to  the  Havana,  with  a  valuable  freight,  and 
fifteen  hundred  and  ninety-eight  doubloons. 

I  became,  in  a  measure,  responsible  for  the  vessel  and 
cargo,  having  signed  bills  of  lading  for  the  whole  amount.  It 
was  of  course  expected  that  I  should  be  able,  in  this  vessel,  to 
run  away  from  every  thing  that  floated  the  ocean  ;  and  if  not 
able  to  escape  by  superior  sailing,  doubtless  must  fight  to  the 
last  extremity,  to  defend  the  property ;  and  what  was  the  re- 
muneration for  my  services?  Why,  fifty  dollars  per  month, 
and  a  portion  of  the  passage-money.  I  do  not  blame  the  own- 
ers for  this  small  compensation,  because  it  was  a  fair  agree- 
ment between  us.  I  merely  state  these  facts,  to  show  how 
poorly  shipmasters  were  paid  for  the  amount  of  responsibility 
they  assumed,  and  ask  whether,  as  a  body,  they  were  not 
worse  paid  than  any  other  class  of  men,  who  have  the  same 
arduous  duties  and  responsibilities ;  for  when  they  have  fami- 
lies, it  must  be  a  difficult  matter  for  them  to  live  respectably 
on  the  slender  allowance  they  receive.  I  shall  make  no  fur- 
ther comments  on  this  subject,  but  leave  it  to  rest  on  its  own 
merits. 

The  young  gentleman  sent  with  me  by  the  Messrs.  IIow- 
land,  was  Mr.  H.  Patterson,  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  and  well 
educated ;  he  was  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  knew.  Although 
young,  was  a  good  merchant,  and  indefatigable  in  his  exertions 
to  promote  the  interest  of  his  employers. 

We  left  New- York  at  noon  on  the  27th  of  April,  and  as 
we  had  strong  breezes  from  the  southward  were  obliged  to 
beat  down  the  bay.  A  great  portion  of  the  crew  were  intoxi- 
cated, so  that  I  was  compelled  to  hire  four  riggers  to  assist  in 
beating  down  to  Sandy  Hook,  and  from  thence  return  in  a 
pilot-boat  to  New-York.  At  6  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  flood 
tide  made  against  us,  when  we  came  to  anchor  and  lay  until 


172  VOYAGE  IN  THE   SCHOONER  SWAN. 

midnight ;  we  then  made  sail,  and  at  one  o'clock,  A.  M.,  got 
outside  of  Sandy  Hook,  where  we  discharged  the  pilot  and  the 
four  riggers.  At  two,  A.  M.,  the  lighthouse  on  Sandy  Hook 
bore  W.  N.  W.  ten  miles  distant,  from  which  I  took  my  depar- 
ture. During  the  night  we  had  strong  breezes  at  N.  N.  E., 
with  dark  cloudy  weather.  Monday,  April  28th,  at  daylight 
we  had  a  continuation  of  fresh  breezes  at  N.  N.  E.,  and  disa- 
greeable weather;  all  hands  employed  clearing  ship  and 
securing  every  thing  about  decks.  At  8,  A.  M.,  sent  down 
topgallant-mast  and  yards,  double  reefed  the  foresail  and 
mainsail,  took  the  bonnet  off  the  jib,  and  at  10,  A.  M.,  took  in 
the  mainsail ;  strong  gales  at  N.  E.,  now  running  off  at  the 
rate  of  eight  or  nine  knots  the  hour,  with  dark  cloudy  weather. 
I  was  sorry  to  find  the  chief  mate  altogether  incompetent  to 
perform  his  duty  ;  the  second  mate  was  a  pretty  good  sailor,  but 
not  accustomed  to  command,  and  was  in  fact  only  an  along- 
shore rigger  ;  and  among  the  whole  crew  we  had  but  three  sea- 
men, all  the  rest  were  ordinary  sailors  and  very  inefficient  men. 
The  masts  and  sails  of  this  fine  vessel  were  large  and  heavy, 
and  required  a  great  number  of  good  able  seamen ;  conse- 
quently I  was  obliged  to  carry  but  little  sail,  and  endeavor  by 
vigilant  and  active  discipline  to  break  in  and  train  the  mates 
and  sailors  by  degrees  to  make  and  take  in  sail,  and  thus  by 
constant  practice  enable  me  to  carry  more  canvas  and  profit  by 
the  construction  of  this  fine  vessel.  These  schooners  are 
built  expressly  for  fast  sailing,  but  require  very  skilful  manage- 
ment and  constant  watchfulness  ;  otherwise  they  are  very 
dangerous.  A  captain  only  accustomed  to  sail  a  ship,  is  not 
always  competent  to  manage  one  of  these  sharp  and  delicately- 
built  schooners.  They  have  often  been  compared  to  a  race- 
horse with  an  unskilful  rider,  when  commanded  by  a  man  un- 
accustomed to  manage  them.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  a 
man  thoroughly  bred  to  the  sea,  and  an  able  shipmaster,  may 
not  become  a  good  schooner  sailor,  but  I  wish  to  be  understood 
that  it  requires  a  great  deal  of  practical  experience  to  handle 
them  properly  in  all  climates,  and  in  all  kinds  of  winds  and 
weather. 


VOYAGE  IN"  THE   SCHOONER  SWAN.  173 

If  it  be  asked  why  I  took  with  me  such  inefficient  officers 
and  men,  I  answer  that  I  had  no  time  to  get  better ;  the  owners 
were  in  great  haste,  and  in  five  days  after  we  commenced 
loading,  we  sailed  on  Sunday  morning  with  nearly  a  full  cargo, 
and  all  was  hurry,  bustle  and  confusion  until  we  got  to  sea. 
After  this  digression  I  will  continue  my  narrative.  The  sun 
came  out  just  before  noon,  when  by  a  meridian  observation  we 
were  in  latitude  39°  9'  north. 

From  the  2Sth  of  April  to  the  9th  of  May,  say  for  a  period 
of  ten  days,  we  met  with  nothing  worthy  of  remark  ;  we  had 
a  variety  of  winds  and  generally  fine  weather.  On  Friday, 
May  9th,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  daylight,  we  made 
the  land  near  the  south  end  of  the  Island  of  Abaco,  bearing 
W.  N.  W.  four  leagues  distant ;  the  next  day  the  winds  were 
light  and  baffling,  and  the  weather  extremely  warm ;  the 
thermometer  at  noon  stood  at  88°  in  the  cabin.  The  winds 
were  so  light  through  the  day,  that  we  did  not  pass  the  Ilole- 
in-the-Wall  until  6  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

What  is  called  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  is  a  natural  arch  in 
the  point  forming  the  south  end  of  Abaco,  and  lies  in  latitude 
25°  54'  north,  longitude  77°  16'  west.  Through  this  large  arch 
the  sea  gently  breaks,  and  thus  forms  a  conspicuous  landmark 
for  navigators  that  pass  this  island.  The  schooner  Swan 
drew  at  this  time  over  thirteen  feet  of  water,  and  I  judged  it 
more  prudent  to  pass  round  the  Great  and  Little  Isaac  Rocks, 
than  to  cross  the  Bank ;  consequently  I  steered  down  to  the 
westward,  leaving  the  Bahama  Bank,  Stirrup's  Key,  and  the 
Berry  Islands  on  the  larboard  hand,  and  on  this  course  passed 
round  the  Isaac  Rocks,  and  kept  close  along  the  western  edge 
of  the  Great  Bahama  Bank,  to  avoid  getting  into  the  Gulf 
Stream. 

May  Wth. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four  hours  light 
breezes  from  the  E.  S.  E.,  and  very  warm  M'eather.  At  9 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  wind  being  light  and  baffling,  I 
came  to  anchor  in  eight  fathoms  of  water,  near  the  Little  Isaac 
Rocks.     These  are  several  small  rock  islands  lying  on  the 


17-i  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  SWAN. 

edge  of  the  Bank,  and  are  a  very  conspicuous  mark  for  this 
passage  ;  they  are  perhaps  about  seventy  to  one  hundred  feet 
high. 

There  we  lay  until  5  o'clock,  daylight,  when  we  made  sail 
again  with  a  moderate  breeze  from  the  S.  E.  and  fine  weather. 
At  S,  A.  M.,  passed  near  the  Great  Isaacs,  with  a  stiff  breeze 
from  the  S.  E.  and  E.  S.  E. ;  sailing  to  the  southward,  close 
along  the  edge  of  the  Bank,  and  running  at  the  rate  of  eight 
and  nine  knots  per  hour,  and  were  enabled,  by  keeping  in 
white  water  and  close  on  the  edge  of  the  Bank,  to  avoid  the 
Gulf  Stream.  At  meridian  the  island  of  Bermini  bore  south 
eight  miles  distant,  the  wind  became  light  and  the  weather 
very  hot,  the  thermometer  stood  at  90°  in  the  shade.  Latitude 
by  observation  25°  44'  north,  longitude  79°  west. 

May  12th. — These  twenty-four  hours  commenced  with 
moderate  breezes  from  the  S.  E.  and  fine  weather.  At  2,  P.  M., 
passed  within  a  league  of  Bermini ;  we  saw  there  a  small  pilot- 
boat  schooner  lying  at  anchor,  in  a  snug  little  harbor  formed 
by  this  and  another  small  island.  Thus  we  contmued  to  sail 
during  the  whole  of  this  day  along  the  western  edge  of  the 
Bank,  under  the  lee  of  those  small  islands  which  lie  generally 
in  a  straight  north  and  south  line,  near  the  edge  of  the  Bank. 
These  islands  form  many  good  harbors  for  pirates  and  wreck- 
ers, and  it  always  gives  one  a  suspicious  feeling  to  see  small 
sloops  and  schooners  at  anchor  among  these  lonely  islands, 
notwithstanding  they  may  sometimes  be  honest  men  working 
in  their  vocation,  watching  for  vessels  in  distress,  and  catching 
turtle  to  fill  up  their  leisure  hours.  At  4  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon we  passed  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  Cat  Key.  During 
the  middle  and  latter  part  of  these  twenty-four  liom-s  we  had 
fresh  breezes  from  the  E.  N.  E.,  and  fine  weather,  and  were 
enabled  to  make  good  progress  on  our  course.  At  noon  we 
were  in  latitude  by  observation  23°  59'  nortli,  and  have  made 
210  miles  distance  per  log  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours. 

Tuesday,  May  13th. — These  24  hours  commenced  with 
moderate  breezes,  and  fine  weather.     At  eight  o'clock  in  the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOONER  SWAN.  175 

morning,  the  Double-headed  Shot  Keys  bore  S.  S.  E.,  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  distant ;  at  9  o'clock  saw  a  small  schooner,  full  of 
men,  coming  out  from  among  these  keys  ;  she  soon  gave  chase 
to  us.  The  wind  being  light,  she  came  up  very  slowly,  which 
gave  us  time  to  load  all  our  guns,  and  after  getting  on  deck 
our  muskets,  swords  and  pistols,  I  addressed  the  passengers, 
officers,  and  crew,  on  the  subject  of  defending  ourselves 
against  the  schooner  in  chase  of  us ;  I  told  them  I  believed 
him  to  be  a  pirate,  and  asked  them  whether  they  were,  all  wil- 
ling to  fight,  and  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible  ?  They 
all,  to  a  man,  answered,  Yes,  and  with  three  hearty  cheers, 
said  they  were  willing  and  ready  to  commence  the  action.  I 
then  observed  that  if  any  man  wished  to  go  below,  to  say  so, 
at  once.  No  one  availed  himself  of  my  offer,  except  one  of 
the  cabin  passengers,  who  was  a  Spaniard,  by  the  name  of 
Don  C.  F.  He  said  he  did  not  wish  to  fight,  and  had  rather 
go  below.  I  told  him  forthwith  to  retire  into  the  cabin.  I 
then  locked  up  the  forecastle  and  cabin  doors,  hoisted  our 
pennant  and  ensign,  and  steered  directly  for  the  schooner.  In 
a  few  minutes  he  tacked  ship,  and  got  out  his  sweeps,  pulled 
and  sailed  off  as  fast  as  possible,  and  soon  returned  among 
the  keys.  I  suppose  he  took  the  Swan  for  a  United  States 
schooner ;  and  thus  ended  our  expected  engagement. 

The  sea-breeze  soon  sprung  up,  and.\vc  hauled  in  for  Cu- 
ba ;  just  before  dark,  we  made  the  coast,  about  ten  leagues  to 
the  eastward  of  the  Havana.  We  ran  to  the  westward  during 
the  night,  under  easy  sail,  and'  at  two  o'clock,  after  midnight, 
made  the  light  on  the  Moro  Castle.  At  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  on  the  13th  of  May,  we  ran  into  the  harbor  of  Ha- 
vana, and  came  to  anchor,  after  a  passage  of  fifteen  days. 

We  were  soon  visited  by  the  health-boat,  and  got  permis- 
sion to  go  on  shore. 

According  to  the  directions  from  my  owners,  I  consigned 
the  vessel  and  cargo  to  Messrs.  Gutieres  &  jMorlaiid,  whom  1 
found  to  be  excellent  merchants,  and  very  honorable  men. 
The  next  day  we  got  a  berth  for  the  schooner  at  the  Avliarf, 


176  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  SWAN. 

and  commenced  discharging.  We  then  advertised  the  schoon- 
er for  sale,  freight  or  charter,  and  in  a  few  days  landed  all  our 
cargo.  Mr.  Patterson  left  this  place  in  the  first  steamboat,  for 
Matanzas,  and  took  all  the  doubloons  with  him,  which  re- 
lieved my  mind  from  much  care  and  anxiety. 

I  will  here  relate  an  incident  to  show  the  evil  consequences 
of  having  a  drunken  mate.  After  the  schooner  was  discharg- 
ed, I  told  the  mate  to  haul  the  Swan  off  from  the  wharf,  and 
anchor  her  in  a  good  berth,  in  the  harbor.  I  was  so  much 
occupied  on  shore,  that  I  could  not  attend  to  it  myself,  and 
therefore  directed  him  to  do  it.  The  weather  was  fine,  and 
the  water  as  smooth  as  a  duck  pond  ;  still,  this  miserable  man 
managed  to  get  the  vessel  oft'  into  the  harbor,  and  in  letting 
go  one  of  the  anchors,  let  all  the  chain  run  out,  and  the 
schooner  go  adrift.  The  next  day  it  cost  me  ten  dollars  to  get 
the  anchor  and  chain  again.  He  also  abused  and  ill-treated 
the  men  so  much  during  the  day,  that  six  of  them  deserted 
the  vessel,  on  the  following  night.  These  are  evils  that  we 
poor  shipmasters  had  to  submit  to  in  consequence  of  intem- 
perance, at  this  period,  and  T  am  now  rejoiced  to  add,  that  I 
have  lived  to  witness  the  glorious  triumph  of  temperance  socie- 
ties over  beastly  intoxication  and  moral  debasement  among 
seamen.  Yes,  it  gladdens  the  heart  of  every  humane  man,  to 
witness  the  great  and  glorious  reform  among  seafaring  men, 
brought  about  by  the  best  of  all  societies,  the  temperance  re- 
formers of  our  age.  And  who  could  have,  for  a  moment,  im- 
agined, that  a  few  short  years  could  have  produced  such  a 
radical  change  in  this  class  of  useful,  though  unfortunate 
men?  When  the  subject  of  temperance  was  proposed,  not  a 
great  many  years  ago,  in  New- York,  T  must  confess,  I  was  an 
unbeliever  in  its  practicability  on  shipboard.  I  said,  it  may, 
perhaps,  be  carried  out  in  some  measure,  on  shore,  but  it  never 
can  be  with  seamen — sailors  cannot,  and  will  not,  do  without 
li(|uor,  nor  will  they  ever  be  willing  to  go  to  sea  without  it,  for 
it  is,  in  fact,  necessary  to  their  very  existence.  I  am  now, 
liowcver,  happy  to  acknowledge  that  I  was  entirely  mistaken; 


\ 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SCHOOXER  SWAN.  177 

for,  since  that  period,  I  have  made  many  long  voyages  Avith- 
out  a  drop  of  liquor  on  board,  and  now  find  that  nearly  all 
the  quarrels  and  corroding  vexation  that  we  used  to  have 
with  both  officers  and  men,  grew  out  of  that  curse  to  human 
society,  alcohol,  in  some  shape  or  other. 

After  this  long  comment  on  the  evils  of  intemperance,  I  will 
resume  my  narrative,  and  state  that,  after  waiting  a  few  days, 
and  being  unable  to  dispose  of  the  vessel,  I  concluded  to  take 
a  freight,  and  return  directly  back  to  New- York.  I  will  here 
insert  a  copy  of  two  letters  that  I  wrote  at  this  time  to  my 
employers,  which  will  tell  the  whole  story,  better  than  I  can 
now  relate  it. 

Messrs.  G.  G.  <fc  S.  Rowland,— 

Gentlemen  : — Your  esteemed  favors  of  the  1st  and  7th 
inst.,  are  now  before  me.  I  have  noted  their  contents,  and  re- 
gret to  inform  you  that  I  am  unable  to  dispose  of  the  Swan  at 
any  thing  like  her  fair  value ;  and  the  highest  freight  I  can 
get  offered  to  Europe,  including  primage,  say  to  Havre,  is  one 
and  a  half  cent  per  pound  for  coffee.  This  I  consider  too  low, 
particularly  when  I  can  obtain  a  full  cargo  of  coffee  for  New- 
York,  at  three-fourths  of  a  cent  per  pound,  and  have  agreed 
with  most  of  the  shippers  to  consign  their  property  to  your 
house.  1  have  now  on  board  more  than  half  a  cargo,  and 
hope  to  get  full  by  the  28th  inst.,  when  I  shall  make  the  best 
of  my  way  back  to  New- York.  I  shall  forward  a  duplicate 
of  this  letter  by  a  vessel  which  sails  to-morrow  for  Norfolk, 
that  you  may  be  fully  apprised  of  my  determination  in  time 
to  insure  the  Swan  from  this  place  to  your  city.  I  shall  in  all 
probability  soon  return,  therefore  deem  it  unnecessary  to  de- 
tail every  occurrence  that  has  transpired  during  my  absence. 
When  we  meet,  trust  I  shall  be  able  to  explain  every  thing  to 
your  satisfaction.  I  have  a  fair  prospect  of  getting  five  or  six 
cabin  passengers,  and  although  I  shall  not  make  you  a  great 
voyage,  hope  you  will  make  at  least  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
and  find  the  schooner  in  as  good  or  better  condition  when  she 
12 


178  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER   SWAN. 

returns,  than  when  she  left  New- York.  Mr.  Patterson  writes 
me  from  Matanzas,  that  your  ship  Circassian  will  probably  sail 
from  that  port  about  the  10th  of  June. 

Very  respectfully, 
I  remain.  Gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  servant, 
GEORGE  COGGESHALL. 
Havana,  May  24th,  1823. 

Messrs.  G.  G.  <fc  S.  Rowland,— 

Gentlemen  : — For  fear  of  accident,  I  herewith  inclose 
you  a  debenture  certificate  of  goods  shipped  by  your  house,  on 
account  of  Don  Carlos  Fernando.  I  shall,  of  course,  bring 
the  other  copy  along  with  jue,  and  am  now  happy  to  advise 
you  that  I  have  a  full  cargo  of  coffee  and  sugar  on  freight. 
Coffee  at  three-fourths  of  a  cent  per  pound,  and  sugar  at  about 
the  same  rate.  The  greater  part  of  the  cargo  is  consigned  to 
your  house.  I  regret  I  am  not  able,  at  this  moment,  to  send 
you  a  freight  list,  neither  can  I  say  exactly  how  much  it  will 
amount  to,  but  at  a  rough  guess,  think  about  eighteen  hundred 
or  two  thousand  dollars,  including  the  passage  money.  I  in- 
tend to  clear  out  this  day,  and  sail  with  the  convoy  in  the 
morning.  I  have  had  much  trouble  with  my  chief  mate,  and 
a  bad  crew ;  in  consequence  of  which,  I  have  been  obliged  to 
hire  stevedores  to  stow  the  cargo,  and  am  this  day  shipping 
sailors,  and  hope  I  shall  be  in  New- York  before  this  reaches 
you,  and  am  very  truly, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

GEORGE  COGGESHALL. 

Havana,  May  31  St,  1823. 

I  fortunately  obtained  seven  cabin  passengers  at  fifty  dol- 
lars each.  They  were  nearly  all  natives  of  Colombia  and  the 
island  of  Cuba  ;  only  one  or  two  of  them  spoke  English,  but 
they  were  all  agreeable,  gentlemanly  men,  and  behaved  with 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER  SWAN.  179 

great  propriety.  And  I  will  here  remark,  that  I  have  frequently- 
had  Spanish  passengers,  and  have  found  them  easily  satisfied 
and  generally  less  troublesome  than  those  of  any  other  na- 
tion. After  getting  every  thing  ready,  we  sailed  out  of  the 
harbor  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  the  1st  of  June,  hav- 
ing been  here  seventeen  days,  bound  for  New- York  in  com- 
pany with  six  sail  of  American  vessels  for  d  life  rent  ports  in  the 
United  States,  under  convoy  of  the  U.  S.  Schooners  Greyhound 
and  Jackall.  At  this  period  there  were  so  many  piratical  ves- 
sels cruising  around  Cuba  and  the  Bahama  Islands,  that  it 
was  not  safe  for  American  merchant  vessels  to  navigate  these 
seas  without  government  protection.  At  six  in  the  afternoon, 
the  Moro  Castle  bore  south,  seven  leagues  distant.  At  9  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  I  was  boarded  by  an  officer  from  the  schooner 
Greyhound,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Kearney,  all  the 
fleet  still  in  sight.  During  the  night  we  had  light  winds,  and 
made  but  little  progress  on  our  course. 

Monday,  June  2d. — Those  twenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  light  airs  from  the  E.  N.  E.,  and  clear  pleasant  weather. 
At  10  A.  M.  the  convoy  still  in  sight  to  the  southward.  Lati- 
tude by  observation  at  noon,  23°  59'  north.  Longitude  about 
82°  west. 

Tuesday,  June  3d. — Tiicso  twenty-four  hours  commen- 
ced with  strong  breezes  at  E.  S.  E.,  and  cloudy  weather, 
with  a  high  head  sea  running.  At  7  A.  M.  made  sail  to  the 
northward  and  left  the  fleet.  At  11  A.  M.  spoke  the  schooner 
Jackall.  She  had  also  left  the  convoy,  and  was  bound  on  a 
cruise  in  pursuit  of  pirates.  Latitude  by  an  indifferent  obser- 
vation, 2G°  10'  north.  Longitude  about  SO'""  west ;  two  sail  in 
sight. 

Wednesday,  June  Aih. — These  twenty-four  hours  com- 
menced with  strong  gales  at  E.  S.  E.,  and  S.  E.,  with  dark 
squally  weather.  The  schooner  under  reefed  sails,  and  going 
at  the  rate  often  or  eleven  miles  the  liour,  on  a  straight  course 
to  the  northward,  and  with  the  Gulf  Stream  in  our  lavor,  we 
were  sailing  at  a  great  rate,  and  thus  it  continued  to  blow  from 


ISO  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER  SWAN. 

the  S.  E.  during  the  whole  night.  At  noon,  we  found  our- 
selves, by  a  good  observation,  in  latitude  30°  28'  north,  lon- 
gitude 79°  3'  west ;  so  that  we  have  differed  our  latitude  4°  and 
eighteen  miles  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  thus  making  a  di- 
rect northerly  course  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  miles  dis- 
tance. 

Thursday,  June  5th. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four 
hours  strong  gales  at  E.  S.  E.,  and  dark,  cloudy  weather,  with 
a  high  sea  running ;  middle  part  dark  and  rainy,  steering  to 
the  northward  under  easy  sail.  At  2  A.  M.  split  the  jib  ;  close 
reefed  the  fore  and  main-sails.  At  6  o'clock,  daylight,  it  be- 
came more  moderate  ;  turned  the  reefs  out  and  made  sail. 
Latitude  by  observation,  32°  40'  north.  Longitude  about  77° 
13'  west.  During  these  last  twenty-four  hours,  we  have  had 
only  about  half  a  knot  northerly  current. 

From  the  5th  to  the  10th  of  June,  nothing  remarkable  oc- 
curred ;  we  generally  had  baffling  and  contrary  winds,  and 
were  obliged  to  beat  about  and  ply  to  the  northward  the 
best  way  we  could.  On  this  day,  however,  we  made  the 
land  near  Cape  Henlopen,  bearing  N.  N.  W.,  about  three 
leagues  distant ;  the  wind  being  at  N.  E.  directly  ahead,  with  a 
High  sea  running,  we  stood  off  and  plied  to  the  windward  un- 
der reefed  sails-,  as  the  wind  was  blowing  a  strong  gale  from 
the  N.  E.;  towards  noon  it  moderated.  Latitude,  by  observa- 
tion, 38°  11  north.  Several  sail  in  sight,  spoke  the  schooner 
Curlew,  bound  to  New-York. 

Wednesday,  June  14^/t. — We  had  light  winds  from  the 
eastward,  and  clear,  pleasant  weather  throughout  all  these 
twenty-four  hours ;  we  were  still  beating  to  the  northward, 
tacking  generally  every  four  or  six  hours  ;  several  sail  in 
sight.  At  meridian  the  winds  were  light,  and  the  weather  very 
warm.     Latitude,  by  observation,  39°  14'  north. 

Thursday,  June  \2lh. — These  twenty-four  hours  com- 
menced with  moderate  breezes  from  the  southward,  and  fine 
weatlier.  At  noon  this  day  took  a  pilot,  and  at  2  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  passed  Sandy  Hook.      At  4  o'clock,  came  to 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SCHOONER  SWAN.  181 

anchor  at  the  quarantine  ground  at  Staten  Island,  after  a  rough 
and  boisterous  passage  of  eleven  days  from  the  Havana — all 
well. 

The  health-boat  soon  visited  us,  and  permitted  all  my  pas- 
sengers to  go  directly  up  to  the  city.  The  health-ofiicer 
ordered  me  to  discharge  all  our  goods  in  lighters,  which  con- 
sisted of  sugar,  coffee,  indigo,  and  sundry  other  articles  of 
merchandise.  This  cargo  was  all  taken  directly  up  to  the 
city,  while  the  schooner  was  compelled  to  lie  in  quarantine. 
On  the  fallacy  of  this  regulation  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
comment,  and  I  will  therefore  leave  the  merchants  and  poli- 
ticians to  settle  the  question. 

In  six  days  all  the  cargo  was  discharged,  in  good  order. 
The  owners,  at  my  request,  sent  down  several  lighter-loads  of 
stone-ballast ;  and  on  the  22d  of  June,  I  settled  the  voyage 
with  the  Messrs.  Howlands,  was  paid  off,  and  I  believe  they 
were  satisfied  with  my  conduct  and  management  of  their 
business.  t  was  just  two  months  in  their  employment, 
namely,  from  the  22d  of  April  to  the  22d  of  June. 

And  here  I  am  sorry  to  add,  that  the  worthy  Mr.  Patterson, 
sent  out  with  me  to  attend  to  loading  and  dispatching  the  ship 
Circassian,  took  the  yellow  fever  at  Matanzas,  soon  after  I  left 
the  Havana,  and  died  in  a  few  days,  sincerely  regretted  by  all 
those  who  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  him. 


Remarks  and  Comments  on  the  Piracies  in  the  West  Indies, 
in  the  year  1823. 

At  this  period,  the  leeward  West  India  Islands  swarmed 
with  pirates,  particularly  around  the  Island  of  Cuba.  The 
Isle  of  Pines,  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  land,  was  a  fa- 
mous rendezvous  for  them.  There  were  also  hoards  of  these 
wretches  in  the  bays  and  creeks  about  Cape  Antonio;  and 
whenever  an  unarmed  vessel  passed  near,  these  miscreants 
would  sally  out  and  capture  them,  and  not  unfrcquently  kill 
every  soul  on   board.     Scarcely  a  week  passed  without  ac- 


182  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER   SWAN. 

counts  of  robberies  and  murders  having  been  committed  by 
these  vile  outlaws  from  all  nations.  I  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  several  individuals  who  were  nun-dered  by 
these  desperate  renegades.  From  month  to  month  they  in- 
creased in  numbers  and  ferocity,  and  their  barbarities  aug- 
mented in  proportion,  until  the  indignation  of  England  and 
the  United  States  was  aroused  to  avenge  the  death  of  the 
poor  victims  who  fell  into  their  hands,  and  whose  blood  cried 
aloud  for  revenge.  In  this  just  retribution,  England  and  the 
United  States  combined  to  put  them  down  ;  and  for  that  pur- 
pose, equipped  suitable  brigs,  schooners,  and  cutters.  Avho 
were  able  to  pursue  them  into  shoal  water,  and  there  ferret 
them  out  in  their  hiding-places,  and  dens  of  death  and  pollu- 
tion. Sometimes  they  shot  them  without  mercy  ;  at  others, 
they  carried  them  to  Jamaica  and  New  Orleans.  At  the 
former  place,  more  than  fifty  were  hung  at  a  time  ;  and  at  the 
latter,  several  were  executed — the  number  I  do  not  now 
recollect. 

I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  enumerate  the  diiferent  ships  and 
vessels  that  were  taken  and  destroyed  about  this  time,  and 
will  only  mention  a  few  which  came  within  my  own  immedi- 
ate knowledge,  namely  :  The  American  brig  Edward ;  the 
captain  and  part  of  the  crew  murdered,  and  their  bodies 
thrown  into  the  sea.  Brig  Laura  Ann,  Captain  Shaw,  from 
Buenos  Ayres,  loaded  with  jerked  beef,  bound  to  Havana ;  the 
captain,  mates  and  crew  were  all  murdered,  except  one  man 
who  secreted  himself  below  ;  they  set  fire  to  the  brig,  and  then 
left  her,  after  which  he  escaped  on  a  piece  of  the  wreck,  and 
finally  got  safe  to  the  Havana. 

While  I  was  there  in  May,  1823,  I  conversed  with  an 
American  captain,  wiio  had  recently  arrived  from  the  Isle  of 
Pines  with  his  mate  and  a  part  of  the  crew.  He  told  me  his 
brig  was  laden  with  salt  from  Cadiz,  bound  for  New  Orleans ; 
that  he  was  taken  to  the  Isle  of  Pines,  where  his  vessel  was 
stripped  of  all  her  sails  and  rigging,  and  then  burned.  The 
captain  said,  while  they  were  seeking  for  hidden  treasure  one 


VOYAGE  IN  THE   SCHOONER  SWAN.  183 

of  his  men  told  the  leader  of  the  pirate  gang  that  there  were 
$2000  hid  under  the  cabin  floor,  when  they  instantly  seized 
the  captain,  and  were  going  to  execute  him  on  the  spot ;  he 
begged  for  mercy,  and  said  there  was  no  money  on  board,  but 
if  they  found  any  he  would  not  complain,  but  submit  to  his 
fate;  they  accordingly  took  the  sailor,  and  after  searching 
where  he  said  the  money  was  secreted,  and  finding  none,  the 
pirate  captain  said  to  the  sailor,  "  I  will  shoot  you,  you  d — d 
rascal,  for  lying  against  your  captain,"  and  instantly  ordered 
him  to  be  lashed  to  the  windlass,  and  had  him  shot  on  the 
spot.  The  brig  being  destroyed,  the  captain,  mate,  and  a  few 
of  his  men  were  released,  and  after  landing  on  the  Island  of 
Cuba  they  walked  to  the  Havana,  glad  to  escape  with  their 
lives.  I  was  told  by  several  Americans  who  were  concerned 
in  the  Havana  trade  at  this  time,  that  it  often  happened  that 
the  same  colfee  was  sold  in  this  market  two  or  three  times 
over ;  that  the  spies  of  the  pirates  watched  the  vessels  about 
to  sail,  and  as  soon  as  they  left  port  would  capture  them ;  take 
their  cargoes  on  shore  to  some  part  of  the  coast,  put  the  coft'ee 
into  new  bags,  and  bring  it  back  to  the  city  and  dispose  of  it 
as  coming  fresh  from  the  plantations.  At  other  times  even 
this  precaution  was  not  attended  to  ;  they  would  merely  oblite- 
rate the  marks  and  numbers,  and  dispose  of  it  with  impunity. 
It  often  happened  that  the  former  shipper  would  recognize  his 
coffee,  but  was  afraid  to  make  a  complaint. 

A  captain  of  a  Baltimore  vessel,  in  the  t^-ade  to  this  place, 
told  me  he  was  robbed  on  one  of  his  late  voyages,  near  this 
port,  and  that  he  recognized  one  of  the  principal  pirates  in  the 
streets  of  the  Havana,  but  dare  not  divulge  the  fact,  for  fear  of 
assassination.  I  mention  these  circumstances  to  prove  that 
the  pirates  were  aided  by  the  inhabitants  of  Cuba,  to  an 
alarming  extent,  and  that  these  statements  cannot,  with  truth, 
be  contradicted.  During  the  height  of  these  piratical  days,  I 
made  several  voyages  from  Europe  to  New  Orleans,  and  al- 
ways took  care  to  avoid  coming  in  sight  of  Cuba,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, to  pass  by  Cape  St.  Antonio  in  the  night. 


18i  VOYAGE   IX  THE   SCHOONER   SWAN. 

After  the  piracies  were  suppressed,  many  of  tliese  miscre- 
ants made  their  escape  to  New  Orleans  and  other  places,  and 
went  into  the  merchant  service  again,  mingling  with  their  fel- 
low-men, as  though  they  had  been  guilty  of  no  crime. 

Seven  years  after  this  period,  two  or  three  of  these  despe- 
rate men  who  had  escaped  from  Cuba,  and  had  thus  far  evad- 
ed punishment,  were  in  New  Orleans,  and  there  shipped  with 
Captain  Thornby,  in  the  brig  Vineyard,  for  a  passage  to  Phila- 
delphia, in  November.  1830.  As  soon  as  these  men  ascertained 
that  there  was  a  considerable  sum  of  money  on  board,  they 
decided  to  have  it  at  all  hazards,  and  not  long  after  leaving 
port,  conspired  to  murder  Captain  T.  and  his  mate,  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Roberts,  destroy  the  brig,  and  divide  the  money  ;  their 
leader,  Charles  Gibbs,  and  his  associate  in  crime.  Thomas  J. 
Walmsley  (a  colored  man),  planned  the  bloody  business.  These 
hardened  pirates  had  been  long  accustomed  to  robbery  and 
murder,  and  probably  desired  a  renewal  of  their  former  life. 

The  crew  of  the  Vineyard  consisted  of  seven  men  exclu- 
sive of  the  captain  and  mate  ;  a  portion  of  them  probably  uni- 
ted with  Gibbs  and  Walmsley  from  motives  of  cupidity,  and  the 
remainder  joined  them  from  the  fear  of  losing  their  own  lives 
by  the  hands  of  these  desperate  villains.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
on  the  night  of  the  23d  of  November,  fourteen  days  after 
leaving  New  Orleans,  the  bloody  tragedy  was  performed  ;  the 
unfortunate  captain  and  his  mate  were  murdered,  and  their 
bodies  thrown  into  the  sea.  There  were  fifty-four  thousand 
Spanish  dollars  on  board,  and  the  day  after  the  murder,  they 
got  the  money  and  other  valuable  articles  on  deck,  and  divid- 
ed the  spoil.  They  then  steered  for  Long  Island,  and  after 
getting  near  Southampton,  they  manned  the  two  boats  and 
put  half  the  money  into  each,  scuttled  and  set  fire  to  the  brig, 
and  then  pulled  away  for  the  shore.  In  the  surf  the  jolly-boat 
filled,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  money  was  lost.  At 
length  they  landed  on  Barron  Island,  and  there  buried  in  the 
sand  what  they  had  saved.  Some  of  thorn  soon  divulged  the 
whole  transaction  to  the  inhabitants  of  Southampton,  when 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SCHOONER  SWAN.  185 

they  were  all  arrested  and  taken  prisoners  to  New- York,  and 
there  tried  in  the  United  States  Court,  in  February,  1S31. 
Gibbs  and  Walmsley  were  cond(!inned  to  be  hung  on  the  23d  of 
April,  and  their  bodies  given  to  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  for  dissection.     The  others  were  acquitted, 

I  had  been  for  many  years  acquainted  with  Captain 
Thornby,  and  always  found  him  a  kind,  humane  gentleman, 
and  I  deeply  regretted  his  untimely  fate. 

After  these  two  men  were  condemned  to  death,  a  friend  of 
mine,  who  is  a  captain  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and  who  had  been 
long  employed  in  the  laudable  service  of  hunting  out  and 
punishing  these  desperate  pirates,  in  and  around  the  island  of 
Cuba — this  gentleman  told  me  he  had  the  curiosity  to  visit 
Gibbs  while  in  prison,  and  there  conversed  with  him  about  the 
ditferent  gangs  of  these  brigands  and  their  places  of  resort, 
hiding-holes,  etc.  etc.     And  after  a  free  communication,  Gibbs 

said  to  my  friend,  "I  suppose.  Captain  ,  you  think  it 

quite  a  difficult  matter  to  make  a  pirate,  but  I  can  assure  you 
it  is  not  so ;  on  the  contrary,  I  can  make  an  excellent  pirate  in 
the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  even  of  a  pious  young  man."  On  be- 
ing questioned  how,  he  replied  as  follows :  "  In  one  of  our  cruises 
we  took  a  vessel  with  a  crew  of  some  eight  or  ten  men,  and 
among  them  were  two  stout  young  men, who  we  thought  would 
be  useful  to  us,  and  therefore  agreed  among  ourselves  to  make 
them  join  us.  Accordingly,  all  the  crew  were  killed  in  their 
presence ;  after  this  we  put  a  rope  around  each  of  their  necks, 
with  a  block  to  the  main  yard-arm,  to  hang  them  ;  they  were 
then  blindfolded,  and  when  every  thing  was  thus  prepared, 
we  asked  them  whether,  to  save  their  lives,  they  would  join 
us,  and  become  pirates  ?  They  gladly  assented  to  the  terms, 
which  were  not  only  to  unite  with  us,  but  also  agreed  to  do  all 
the  killing  that  should  be  required  of  them.  Accordingly,  the 
]iext  vessel  we  captured,  they  performed  all  the  butchery,  so 
that  in  a  few  weeks  they  became  first-rate  pirates." 


CHAPTER  XX. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOK  CLINTON,  DAVID  HEPBURN,  MAS- 
TER, FROM  NEW-YORK  TO  CHILI,  PERU  AND  COLOMBIA,  ON  THE 
"WESTERN  COAST  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA,  AND  FROM  THENCE  TO 
GIBRALTAR  AND  BACK  TO  NEW-YORK,  IN  THE  YEARS  1S25,  1826, 
AND  1827.     MYSELF  SUPERCARGO. 


About  the  20th  of  March,  1825,  I  agreed  with  Messrs.  N.  L. 
<fc  G.  Griswold,  merchants  in  New- York,  to  perform  a  trad- 
ing voyage  from  that  city  to  the  western  coast  of  Chih,  Peru, 
and  Colombia,  in  their  ship  "Governor Clinton."  This  was  a 
good,  fast-sailing  ship,  about  two  years  old,  and  burthen  three 
hundred  and  eighty-three  tons,  well  fitted  and  found  in  every 
respect.  We  had  a  valuable  assorted  cargo  of  flour,  provisions, 
white  beeswax,  chairs,  soap,  American  cotton  goods,  such  as 
shirtings,  sheetings,  etc.,  German,  English  and  Russian  goods. 
In  fine,  it  would  be  useless  and  tedious  to  enumerate  one-tenth 
part  of  this  extensive  cargo  of  every  kind  of  merchandise.  For 
we  had,  as  the  saying  is,  "  every  thing,  from  a  German  flute 
to  a  penny  whistle." 

The  invoice  of  Messrs.  N.  L.  &  G.  Griswold  alone,  amount- 
ed to  the  gross  sum  of  $51,320.  Benj.  L.  Swan,  Esq.,  also  ship- 
ped on  board  of  this  ship,  by  an  arrangement  with  his  friends 
the  owners,  an  invoice  of  American,  English  and  German 
goods  to  the  amount  of  $36,203,  and  consigned  the  same  to 
me.  Besides  the  above  invoice,  there  were  sundry  other 
goods  sent  by  diflTereht  persons  on  half  })rofits,  such  as  chain 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  187 

cables,  saddles,  etc.  etc.,  so  that  the  whole  cargo  amounted  to 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  all  of  which  was  con- 
signed to  my  management. 

Knowing  from  experience  the  great  length  of  time  neces- 
sary to  retail  such  a  cargo  on  the  western  coast  of  South 
America,  I  proposed  to  the  owners  to  employ  a  captain  to  act 
under  my  directions,  and  also  a  young  man  as  assistant  super- 
cargo and  clerk.  I  told  them  that  this  arrangement  would 
eventuate  to  their  interest :  that  I  should  never  be  able  to  fulfil 
all  the  duties  of  a  captain  and  supercargo.  They  readily 
complied  with  my  suggestions,  and  allowed  me  to  appoint  the 
two  gentlemen  in  question.  I  accordingly  chose  as  captain, 
David  Hepburn,  of  Milford,  who  had  been  my  cabin-boy  on 
his  first  voyage  at  sea,  in  the  brig  Henry  and  Isabella,  to  St, 
Bartholomew,  in  the  year  1809.  He  had  also  some  years  after 
that  period  commanded  two  vessels  in  my  employment, 
namely,  the  ketch  Maria,  and  the  schooner  Catherine,  in  the 
West  India  trade.     I  chose  for  my  assistant  supercargo  and 

clerk,  my  young  friend,  Mr.  .      He  had  been  liberally 

educated,  and  had  also  been  for  several  years  initiated  in  com- 
mercial affairs  in  the  counting-house  of  one  of  the  first  mer- 
cantile firms  in  the  city  of  New- York. 

Captain  H.  took  for  his  mate  or  first  officer  Mr.  L.  B.  Gris- 
wold,  with  a  crew  of  twelve  men  and  boys,  together  with  a 
cook,  steward  and  carpenter,  so  that  we  mustered  in  number 
about  eighteen  or  twenty  souls. 

We  commenced  loading  on  the  22d  of  March,  and  on  the 
13th  of  April  got  ready  for  sea.  Here  follows  the  substance 
of  Captain  Hepburn's  orders  from  the  owners  of  the  Governor 
Clinton : 

Captain  D.  Hepburn, — 
Dear  Sir  : — 

You  will  please  take  charge  of  the  ship  Governor  Clinton 
as  master,  and  proceed  with  all  possible  dispatch  to  Lima;  at 
that  port  you  will  be  guided  by  the  instructions  and  advice  of 


188  VOYAGE   LN"  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

Captain  George  Coggeshall,  who  goes  with  you  as  supercargo. 
Mr.  C.  holds  our  power  of  attorney  to  dispose  of  the  ship  and 
cargo,  and  in  short  to  do  and  act  for  our  interest  the  same  as 
though  we  were  personally  present ;  we  therefore  request  you 
will  comply  with  his  wishes,  and  should  any  untoward  acci- 
dent befall  Captain  C,  we  desire  that  you  will  strive  to  promote 
our  interest  to  the  best  of  your  abilities.  Wishing  you  a  pros- 
perous voyage,  we  remain 

Your  obedient  servants, 

N.  L.  &.  G.  Griswold. 

Substance  of  my  agreement  with  the  owners  of  the  G. 
Clinton  on  a  trading  voyage  on  the  coast  of  Chili,  Peru,  and 
Colombia.  The  owners  agreed  to  allow  me  two  and  a  half 
per  cent,  clear  commission  on  the  gross  sale  of  the  whole  out- 
ward cargo,  also  two  and  a  half  on  all  purchases,  and  one  per 
cent,  on  returns  in  specie,  with  the  further  privilege  of  ten  tons 
of  merchandise  free  of  freight  during  the  entire  voyage,  with 
one  quarter  part  of  the  net  passage  money. 

After  my  agreement  with  the  owners  of  the  Governor 
Clinton  was  completed  and  all  the  preliminaries  settled  relative 
to  the  voyage,  these  gentlemen  handed  me  a  letter  to  Captain 
Hatch,  who  commanded  their  brig  Brazilian,  which  vessel  was 
then  at  Lima  or  trading  on  some  part  of  the  coast  of  Peru,  and 
I  herewith  insert  a  copy  of  that  letter. 

New-York,  Ulh  April,  1825. 
Captain  A.  Hatch, — 

Dear  Sir  : 

This  will  be  handed  you  by  Captain  George  Coggeshall, 
who  is  on  the  eve  of'  sailing  in  our  ship  Governor  Clinton, 
direct  for  Tjima.  You  will  give  Captain  C.  all  the  informa- 
tion in  your  power,  that  will  promote  the  object  of  his  voyage  ; 
you  will  also  consult  with  him  relative  to  the  business  of  the 
]3razilian. 

Captain  C.  is  an  experienced  shipmaster,  and  his  advice 
will  be  useful  to  you.     We  have  requested  him,  if  he  thinks 


I 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  189 

best,  to  put  such  part  of  his  cargo  on  board  of  the  BraziHan,  as 

is  suitable  for  other  markets  on  the  coast,  and  to  let  Mr. 

go  with  you,  to  assist  in  disposing  of  them,  together  with  such 
remaining  part  of  your  cargo  as   is  adapted   to   such  ports. 
You  will  please  co-operate  with  Captain  Coggeshall  in  such 
arrangements  as  he  may  deem  proper. 
We  are  your  obedient  servants, 

Nathaniel  L.  &.  G.  Griswold. 

And  now  being  assured  that  I  had  the  entire  confidence  of 
my  enterprisirjg  employers,  and  satisfied  that  they  had  allowed 
me  a  Uberal  compensation  for  my  anticipated  services,  I  felt 
that  they  were  entitled  to  my  utmost  exertions  and  untiring 
industry  to  promote  their  interest  in  every  honorable  way  in 
my  power.  Under  these  circumstances  I  embarked  with  a 
good  heart  and  a  willing  mind,  and  on  Friday,  April  the  15th, 
1825,  at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  left  New- York  with  a 
light  air  from  the  N.  E.,  and  at  noon  the  same  day  came  to 
anchor  at  the  quarantine  ground,  Staten  Island,  where  we  lay 
all  night,  the  wind  being  light  from  the  eastward.  The  next 
morning,  at  eight  o'clock,  we  made  sail  with  a  light  variable 
wind  and  ebb  tide,  and  stood  down  the  bay.  At  3  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  we  got  fairly  outside  of  Sandy  Hook,  when  a 
breeze  sprung  up  from  the  southward,  and  we  discharged  the 
pilot,  and  proceeded  on  our  course  to  the  eastward. 

There  is  so  much  sameness  and  monotony  at  sea,  that  T 
shall  pass  over  much  of  the  dull  routine  comprising  the  record 
of  winds  and  weather,  and  only  note  the  most  prominent  inci- 
dents that  occurred  during  this  passage  (except  off  Cape  Horn, 
where  I  shall  insert  detailed  particulars  from  day  to  day). 
The  first  day  out  we  had  a  smooth  sea  and  a  favorable  breeze 
from  the  southwest,  and  ran  off  at  the  rate  of  eiglit  and  nine 
knots  the  hour.  The  next  day  being  Sunday,  all  hands  had  a 
day  of  rest.  I  have  always  made  it  a  standing  rule  never  to 
keep  the  officers  and  crew  at  work  on  Sunday,  except  in  cases 
of  absolute  necessity. 


190  VOYAGE   IX  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  four  days  after  leaving  Sandy  Hook, 
the  wind  shifted  to  the  S.  E.,  and  blew  a  strong  gale  from  that 
quarter  attended  with  rain,  and  a  high  sea,  which  made  it  ne- 
cessary to  double-reef  the  topsails.  As  the  motion  of  the  ship 
caused  my  young  friend  Mr.  to  feel  sea-sick,  the  fol- 
lowing dialogue  took  place  between  us. 

"  Well,  Mr.  C,  this  is  a  miserable  life  ;  what  fools  men  are 
to  let  pride  and  ambition  drive  them  to  sea,  and  thus  suffer 
and  endure  sickness  and  every  kind  of  discomfort.  It  is  far 
better  to  live  on  shore  in  the  most  humble  manner,  even  in  a 
log-cabin  on  the  wild  prairies  of  the  western  States,  than  to 
lead  such  a  miserable  dog's  life  as  this.  I  oilly  wish  I  was 
once  more  on  shore,  and  nothing  should  ever  tempt  me  to  leave 
the  land  again." 

"  My  young  friend,"  said  I,  "  your  feelings  on  the  subject 
are  perfectly  natural ;  I  have  heard  the  same  resolves  a  thou- 
sand times  from  the  uninitiated  in  the  mysteries  of  a  sea  life. 
Just  wait  until  you  have  seen  foreign  lands,  and  felt  the  excite- 
ment which  the  dangers  and  vicissitudes  of  such  a  life  are 
sure  to  produce,  and  then  after  having  made  a  good  voyage 
and  got  safe  back,  only  think  how  delightful  it  is  to  meet  one's 
friends,  and  find  every  body  glad  to  see  you,  and  greet  you 
with  a  hearty  welcome.  Depend  upon  it,  sir,  you  will  not 
willingly  remain  two  months  on  shore,  before  you  will  sigh  for 
another  voyage." 

The  Governor  Clinton  was  a  good  sea-boat  and  a  fast- 
sailing  ship,  and  when  the  winds  were  favorable,  we  made 
great  progress  on  our  voyage.  Although  deeply  laden,  we 
frequently  made  two  hundred  miles  and  over  in  twenty-fqur 
hours.  Before  leaving  New- York,  I  had  purchased  a  new 
chronometer,  and  as  we  were  bound  on  a  long  voyage,  I 
judged  it  piudent  to  make  one  of  the  Cape  de  Verde  Islands, 
and  test  the  correctness  of  the  instrument,  and  therefore  re- 
quested ('aptain  llopburn  to  make  the  Island  of  St,  Anthony, 
which  lies  nearly  in  the  direct  track  out,  and  about  in  the 
usual  longitude  of  crossing  the  equator.     Accordingly  on  the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  191 

12th  of  May  we  steered  south  for  the  aforesaid  island,  and 
made  it  at  six  A.  M.,  dayhght,  bearing  S.  by  W.  seven  leagues 
distant. 

Brisk  breezes  at  N.  E.  and  fine  weather,  latitude  by  ob- 
servation at  noon  17°  14'  N. 

When  the  body  of  the  island  bore  south,  I  got  severtil 
sights  of  the  chronometer,  and  found  the  mean  result  to  be  25° 
17'  west  longitude.  The  longitude  of  the  same  part  of  the 
island  is  laid  down  in  my  nautical  books  in  25°  19'  west,  dif- 
fering but  two  miles,  consequently  I  found  the  chronometer 
correct.  St.  Anthony  is  a  high,  barren,  rocky-looking  island, 
and  I  should  think  not  of  much  value  for  the  purposes  of 
cultivation. 

We  were  now  twenty-seven  days  from  New- York,  and  as 
we  had  got  into  fine  weather,  I  found  abundant  leisure  to 
read,  and  brush  up  what  knowledge  I  had  of  the  Spanish 
language. 

Temperature  by  Farhrenheit's  thermometer  this  day  was 
80°  at  noon  in  the  shade.  W"e  had  light  trade  winds  at  N.  E. 
for  several  days  while  steering  down  south  towards  the  line, 
and  met  with  nothing  worthy  of  remark  until  we  got  near  the 
equator,  where  the  weather  is  always  hot  and  disagreeable. 
The  sun  is  generally  hidden  by  clouds  and  mist  during  the 
morning,  but  usually  shines  out  at  meridian.  Being  vertical, 
the  heat  and  vapor  are  extremely  unpleasant.  Generally 
through  the  night  there  is  much  rain,  and  though  at  times  the 
clouds  look  frightfully  black,  and  the  squalls  wild  and  threat- 
ening, still  they  are,  generally  speaking,  harmless,  and  end 
with  abundance  of  rain,  with  but  little  or  no  wind. 

I  can  easily  conceive  that  a  stranger  on  visiting  these 
regions,  should  be  at  times  very  much  alarmed  with  the 
threatening  aspect  of  the  sky  and  the  general  appearance 
of  the  weather,  when  in  reality  there  is  no  danger. 

It  is  in  these  latitudes  that  we  generally  fill  up  our  wa- 
ter casks,  and  the  sailors  always  profit  by  washing  all  their 
clothing. 


192  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

We  are  usually  obliged  to  fan  through  these  low  lati- 
tudes, say  from  two  or  three  degrees  north  of  the  equator 
to  one  degree  south  of  it,  and  it  is  not  imcommon  to  lose 
several  days  here  amidst  calm  and  baffling  weather.  I  have 
found,  by  many  years  experience,  that  the  best  longitude  for 
crossing  the  line  is  in  about  26°  to  27°  west.  Some  naviga- 
tors prefer  crossing  further  to  the  eastward,  say  in  23°  W.,  butl 
think  there  is  more  fear  of  meeting  calm  weather  in  23°  than 
further  to  the  westward  ;  namely,  from  26°  to  27°.  Balti- 
more vessels,  which  are  generally  fast-sailing  clippers,  cross 
still  further  to  leeward,  some  as  far  as  twenty-eight  or  twenty- 
nine  degrees,  and  find  the  winds  fresher  and  more  favorable  ; 
still  this  would  be  a  dangerous  experiment  for  very  heavy 
sailing  ships  to  attempt  for  fear  of  falling  to  leeward,  and  being 
swept  so  far  to  the  westward  as  not  to  be  able  to  weather  Cape 
St.  Roque. 

On  Saturday,  May  28th,  we  crossed  the  equator  in  the  lon- 
gitude of  26°  16'  W.  The  thermometer  this  day,  and  for  sev- 
eral consecutive  days,  has  been  from  82°  to  85°  Fahrenheit, 
in  the  shade.  Latitude  at  noon,  0°  52'  south.  And  thus  our 
passage  from  New- York  to  the  line  has  been  forty-one  days, 
which  is  rather  long  for  a  fast-sailing  ship.  We  have,  how- 
ever, for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  days,  been  sadly  impeded  by 
light  and  baffling  winds. 

Sunday^  May  29th. — We  are  fortunate  in  falling  in  with 
the  S.  E.  trade  winds  so  near  the  line,  and  have  now  fine, 
pleasant  weather,  which  is  very  agreeable  after  having  been 
for  several  days  under  a  vertical  sun,  and  soaking  showers 
of  rain.  We  have  made  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  miles 
distance  per  log,  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  notwithstanding 
the  ship  has  been  close-hauled  upon  the  wind.  This  is 
another  welcome  day  of  rest ;  I  read  one  of  Bossuet's  Ser- 
mons, Locke  and  Bacon's  Essays,  and  felt  at  peace  with 
ail  \\\r.  world.  Latitude,  by  observation,  3°  5'  south.  Lon- 
uiuidc  at  noon,  28°  12'  west.     Thermometer  83°  in  the  cabin. 

y/nirsday,  June  2d. — During  the  last  three  days,  we  have 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  193 

had  fresh  and  steady  breezes  from  the  S.  E.,  and  clear, 
pleasant  weather,  and  have  made,  by  the  log,  one  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  miles  per  day,  with  the  yards  braced  up. 
We  are  now  sailing  through  those  pleasant  regions  (men- 
tioned on  a  former  voyage  in  the  Sea-Serpent),  where  the 
weather  is  generally  fine,  the  air  pure,  and  the  skies  bright 
and  clear.  Our  captain  is  a  good  seaman,  very  watchful  and 
attentive  to  the  duties  of  the  ship,  and  has  tact  enough  to 
make  the  crew  contented  and  happy.  As  we  have  a  drum- 
mer and  a  fifer,  besides  a  man  who  plays  the  violin  tolerably 
well,  we  have  music  on  board  almost  every  evening  when 
the  weather  is  fine,  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  men  ;  and  I 
am  pleased  to  add  that  every  body  appears  contented.  There 
is  of  course  some  occasional  remark  or  evil  foreboding  on  the 
subject  of  doubling  Cape  Horn ;  but  this  reflection  soon  sub- 
sides by  the  consoling  fact  that  we  have  a  good  ship  under 
foot,  and  that  she  is  ably  commanded,  with  as  good  a  crew  as 
ever  floated  on  salt  water,  in  proportion  to  their  number.  We 
found  ourselves  this  day  in  latitude  10°  51'  south ;  longitude 
33^  44'  west. 

From  the  2d  to  the  9th  of  June,  we  had  generally  light 
winds  and  pleasant  weather,  and  have  made  but  slow  progress 
on  our  course.  We  have  kept  a  little  too  far  to  the  westward, 
and  too  near  the  Brazil  coast,  consequently  have  found  the  S.  E. 
trades  very  light.  I  would,  therefore,  advise  all  young  and 
inexperienced  navigators  bound  round  Cape  Horn,  to  give  the 
coast  of  Brazil  a  good  berth,  and  thus  avoid  light  trades  and 
baffling  winds.  I  have  found  from  experience  that  by  keeping 
further  to  the  eastward  the  trade  winds  are  much  stronger. 

Saturday,  June  Wth. — This  day,  the  weather  being  fine, 
we  took  several  observations  of  the  sun's  and  moon's  distance, 
to  ascertain  our  longitude  ;  and  after  taking  the  mean  of  the 
whole,  we  found  the  longitude  to  be  35°  52'  west  of  Green- 
wich, which  differs  but  a  few  miles  from  the  chronometer ;  we 
therefore  conclude  they  are  both  correct.  Latitude  at  noon, 
20°  19'  south. 

13 


19i  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

Thursday,  June  lfi//i.— Winds  light,  from  S.  E.  to  N.  E., 
with  clear,  pleasant  Aveather.  At  one  P.  M.  spoke  the  brig 
"  Syren,"  four  days  from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  boimd  to  Boston, 
Several  whales  playing  round  the  ship.  Variation  of  the  com- 
pass, per  amplitude,  2°  32'  east.  Latitude  by  observation,  28° 
56'  north  ;  longitude  38°  48'  west. 

Monday^  June  20ih. — Moderate  breezes  from  the  S.  E.  and 
fine  weather.  This  day,  set  up  the  lower  shrouds,  bent  a  new 
main-topsail,  and  other  storm  sails,  sent  down  royal  masts 
and  yards,  rove  new  braces,  and  are  making  every  preparation 
for  bad  weather  as  we  draw  up  into  higher  latitudes,  and  ap- 
proach Cape  Horn. 

Ju?ie  2oth. — Latitude  43°  south;  longitude  50°  west. 
The  thermometer  in  the  cabin  stood  at  52°.  The  days  are  get- 
ting shorter,  and  the  sky  daily  wears  a  more  wintry  aspect,  as 
we  increase  our  latitude.  The  "  Magellan  Clouds"  are  now 
about  45^  above  the  horizon,  and  are  nightly  seen  when  the 
sky  is  clear. 

In  these  high  southern  latitudes,  besides  the  "  Southern 
Cross"  there  are  many  constellations  and  single  bright  stars 
seen,  that  are  not  visible  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Northern  Hem- 
isphere, and  are  therefore  a  fruitful  theme  of  contemplation 
for  those  who  visit  these  distant  regions  of.the  globe.  From 
the  26th  of  June  to  the  end  of  the  month,  being  a  space  of 
four  days,  we  generally  had  head  winds,  and  squally,  disa- 
greeable weather ;  consequently  we  have  made  but  slow  pro- 
gress on  our  voyage. 

July  C)tJi. — At  7  o'clock  this  morning,  by  an  observation  of 
the  moon  and  the  star  Antares,  found  we  were  in  longitude 
53°  15',  30'',  west  longitude  per  chronometer,  53°  18'  0".  Lati- 
tude 46°  0'  south,  variation  of  the  compass  per  amplitude,  23° 
26'  easterly. 

Friday,  July  S(h. — During  the  whole  of  these  twenty- 
four  hours,  wc  had  fresh  breezes  from  west  to  northwest,  and 
clear,  pleasant  weather.  At  8  A  M.  made  the  land,  namely, 
the  island  of  Terra  del  Fucgo,  near  the  Straits  of  Lci  Maire, 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  195 

bearing  from  south  to  west  about  fifteen  leagues  distant.  Lat- 
itude by  observation  at  noon,  54^'  3'  south  ;  distance  run,  by 
the  log,  one  hundred  andfifty-eight  miles.  At  11  o'clock  A. 
M.  the  longitude  per  chronometer  was  04°  54'  west. 

At  this  time  Cape  Diego,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of 
Le  Maire,  bore  S.  AV.  This  cape  is  laid  down  by  Bowditch 
in  latitude  54°  37'  south  ;  longitude  G5°  5'  west,  which  dif- 
fers little  or  nothing  from  my  chronometer. 

Saturday^  July  9ih. — Up  to  this  period,  we  have  been 
favored  with  a  fair  share  of  good  weather  ;  but,  as  it  is  now 
in  the  dead  of  winter  in  this  dreary  region,  I  look  for  nothing 
but  stormy  weather,  and  constant  changes  from  bad  to  worse. 

I  believe  I  have  remarked,  in  my  narrative  on  a  former 
voyage,  that  the  severe  weather  and  mountainous  seas  off 
Cape  Horn  and  its  vicinity,  are,  in  reality,  bad  enough  to  en- 
counter ;  but  the  passage  round  this  cape  is  rendered  tenfold 
more  gloomy  from  its  remote  position  ;  for  should  any  serious 
accident  occur,  such  as  losing  a  rudder,  there  is  no  resource ; 
for,  many  hundred  miles  along  this  coast,  there  is  no  vegetation, 
except  a  few  stunted  trees,  and  a  little  moss  and  sorrel  grow- 
ing among  the  clefts  of  these  dark  gray  and  black  rocks,  piled 
one  upon  another,  to  the  height  of  several  hundred  feet ;  and 
no  inhabitants,  save  a  thin,  scattered  population  of  miserable 
savage  Indians,  but  one  grade  above  the  brute  creation,  and 
no  friendly  port  to  obtain  relief,  short  of  Monte  Video,  which 
is  more  than  1300  miles  distant. 

This  reminds  me  of  the  melancholy  loss  of  a  Spanish 
seventy-four  gun-ship,  with  every  soul  on  board — captain, 
officers,  crew,  and  passengers — amounting,  in  number,  to  be- 
tween 700  and  800  men,  women,  and  children.  This  ship 
sailed  from  Cadiz,  in  company  with  a  frigate  bound  to  Lima, 
some  eight  or  ten  years  before  Peru  shook  oft"  the  Spanish 
yoke  and  became  an  independent  State,  These  ships  met 
with  no  serious  accident  until  they  arrived  oft'  Cape  Horn, 
where,  in  a  violent  tempest,  while  lying  to,  the  seventy-four 
lost  her  rudder.     She  hoisted  a  signal  of  distress,  but  the  sea 


196  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

was  SO  high,  and  the  weather  so  bad,  that  the  frigate  was 
afraid  to  approach  her  consort.  Shortly  after,  the  weather 
became  thick,  when  they  separated,  lost  sight  of  each  other, 
and  never  again  met.  The  frigate,  a  few  weeks  after,  arrived 
in  safety  at  Lima,  but  the  seventy-four  was  never  afterwards 
heard  from,  except  a  mere  vestige  of  her — just  enough  to 
establish  the  fact  of  the  sad  catastrophe  of  this  ill-fated-ship. 
Soon  after  the  New  South  Shetland  Islands  off  Cape  Horn 
were  discovered,  a  gang  of  American  sealers  on  one  of  these 
islands  report  having  seen  the  rudder  of  a  large  ship,  which 
they  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  a  seventy-four,  lying  on  the 
shore  of  one  of  these  desolate  islands. 

After  this  digression,  1  will  resume  my  narrative. 

July  10th. — Commenced  with  fresh  gales  from  the  west- 
ward, directly  ahead,  with  a  high  head  sea  running.  During 
the  night  we  had  strong  gales  from  west  to  southwest,  attended 
with  violent  squalls  of  snow  and  hail. 

At  eight  o'clock  A.  M.  got  down  the  main-topgallant  yard, 
and  rigged  in  the  jib-boom,  close-reefed  the  topsails  and  courses, 
and  stood  off  shore  to  the  southward.  We  have  now  met  with 
Cape  Horn  weather,  in  good  earnest.  No  observation ;  the 
sun  obscured.  Latitude  by  dead-reckoning,  56°  18'  south. 
Distance  made,  by  the  log,  70  miles.  Longitude  by  calcula- 
tion, 62°  31'  west.     Thermometer  at  noon,  34°  above  zero. 

Monday^  July  Wth. — These  twenty- four  hours,  like  the 
last,  commenced  with  strong  gales  blowing  from  the  west  and 
southwest,  with  violent  squalls  of  snow  and  hail.  At  4  P.  M. 
the  wind  blew  so  violently  that  we  were  obliged  to  take  in  all 
sail,  except  a  close-reefed  main-topsail,  and  the  main  and 
mizzcn  staystails.  At  eight  in  the  morning,  the  gale  blew  so 
violently,  that  we  took  in  the  main  staysail,  and  laid  the  ship's 
head  off  shore  to  the  southward.  The  gale  continued  to  rage 
with  great  fury  from  the  westward,  with  a  very  high  sea  run- 
ning directly  ahead,  through  the  night.  At  half-past  11  A.  M. 
the  sun  shone  out,  and  by  a  sight  at  the  chronometer,  we 
found  the  longitude  to  be  61°  52'  30"  west.     Latitude  by  ob- 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  197 

scrvation  at  noon,  55°  40'  south.     Thermometer,  at  noon,  in 
tlie  cabin,  stood  at  31°  above  zero. 

Jiihj  \2th. — These  twenty-four  hours  are  only  a  repetition 
of  the  last — a  continuation  of  strong  gales  from  the  westward, 
with  a  high  sea  running.  At  4  P.  M.  wore  ship  to  the 
northward,  and  lay  to,  all  these  twenty-four  hours,  under  a 
close-reefed  main-topsail,  and  main  and  mizen  staysail.  We 
lost  about  thirty-one  miles  drift  to  the  eastward,  which  is  about 
one  degree  of  longitude.  We  are  now  in  latitude  5G°  8'  south  ; 
longitude,  per  chronometer,  61°  30'  west ;  thermometer  same 
as  yesterday. 

Wednesday,  July  13th. — These  twenty-four  hours  com- 
menced with  strong  gales  from  the  southward.  At  midnight) 
we  set  close-reefed  topsails,  reefed  courses  and  storm  stay- 
sails. At  one  hour  after  midnight,  wore  ship  to  the  southward. 
The  wind  has  again  veered  to  the  westward,  and  increased  to 
a  violent  tempest.  At  4  P.  M.  took  in  all  sail,  except  a  close- 
reefed  main-topsail,  and  then  hove  to.  We  have  now  very 
cold  weather  and  much  snow,  with  a  high  sea  running  from 
the  westward.  At  8  A.  M.  the  gale  moderated  a  little,  when 
we  set  a  close-reefed  topsail  and  a  reefed  foresail.  Latitude, 
by  observation  at  noon,  56°  3'  south  ;  longitude,  by  chronome- 
ter, 60°  38'  west.  Thermometer  down  to  27°  in  the  cabin.  We 
have  now  much  ice  and  snow  about  the  rigging  and  decks. 

July  lith. — These  twentj^-four  hours  commenced  with 
moderate  gales  from  the  S.  S.  E.  At  meridian  we  made  sail, 
set  close-reefed  topsails,  and  reefed  courses.  Strong  gales  and 
a  high  sea,  with  heavy  squalls  of  snow  and  sleet  throughout 
the  night.  At  9  A.  M.  the  wind  moderated,  and  the  sky 
cleared  up  a  little,  when  we  saw  a  ship,  bearing  about  south, 
two  or  three  miles  distant,  lying  to,  under  a  fore  and  mizzen 
staysail,  with  the  most  of  her  sails  blown  to  pieces.  Her  top- 
sails and  courses  were  hanging  to  the  yards,  half-furled,  and 
flapping  in  tatters  and  ribbons  in  the  wind.  We  set  our  col- 
ors, when  she,  being  to  windward,  set  a  French  ensign,  bore 
up,  and  ran  down  near  us,  and  hove  to  again.     We  were  un- 


198  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVEENOK   CLINTON. 

der  close-reefed  topsails  and  reefed  courses,  and  had  every 
thing  snug  and  comfortable.  We  gazed  at  each  other  for  a 
few  seconds,  when  I  requested  Cajjtain  Hepburn  to  inquire 
of  the  captain  of  the  French  ship  whether  he  was  in  distress 
or  wanted  any  thing,  and  whether  we  could  render  him  any 
assistance  ;  and  thus,  when  in  the  act  of  asking  him  these 
questions,  he  hailed  to  know  whether  lue  were  in  want  of 
any  thing,  and  whether  he  could  be  of  any  service  to  iis. 
We,  of  course,  thanked  him,  and  told  him  we  wanted  nothing. 
She  appeared  like  a  French  sloop-of-war,  mounting  twenty- 
two  guns,  and  a  great  number  of  men  on  board  ;  still  she  la}?- 
looking  like  the  picture  of  distress,  with  nearly  all  her  sails 
blown  to  ribbons,  and  every  thing  hanging  about  in  a  careless, 
slovenly  manner,  worse  than  any  merchant  ship  I  ever  saw 
with  less  than  one-tenth  her  number  of  men  ;  and  what  most 
surprised  us,  was  the  careless  inactivity  displayed  on  board. 
No  move  was  made  to  repair  damages,  and  everything  ap- 
peared to  be  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  winds.  Finding  we 
wanted  nothing  of  each  other,  we  wore  ship  and  stood  on 
opposite  tacks,  when  we  soon  lost  sight  of  this  mysterious 
ship.  No  observation — the  sun  obscured.  Latitude,  by  ac- 
count, 55°  44'  south.  Distance  per  log,  eighty-one  miles. 
Longitude,  per  chronometer,  62°  32'  west, 

Friday^  July  15ih,  1825. — These  twenty-four  hours  com- 
menced with  moderate  breezes  from  the  S.  W.  At  six  A.  M. 
wore  ship  to  the  S.  S.  E.  At  seven  A.  M.  the  wind  hauled  to 
the  N.  W.,  and  blew  a  fresh  gale  from  that  quarter,  attended 
with  squalls  of  snow,  and  a  high  sea  running  from  the  west- 
ward. At  9  A,  M.  the  wind  moderated  a  little,  when  we  again 
made  sail,  set  double-reefed  topsails,  and  a  reefed  foresail.  At 
meridian,  the  wind  and  weather  moderated,  and  the  sea  be- 
came somewhat  smoother.  Lat.  by  account,  55°  40'  S.  Dis- 
tance per  log,  100  miles.  Long,  about  65°  W.  Ther.  in  the 
cabin,  38°  above  zero. 

I  am  fully  aware  that  the  record  of  making  and  taking  in 
sail,  and  in  giving  a  daily  account  of  the  winds  and  weather 


VOYAGE  IN   THE  SHIP  GOVERNOll  CLINTON.  199 

in  the  log-book  style,  must  often  be  extremely  tedious  and  un- 
interesting to  those  unacquainted  with  the  sea,  but  to  seafaring 
men,  it  is  quite  the  reverse ;  for  to  them  it  is  often  a  source  of 
amusement,  and  sometimes  beneficial  to  read  in  detail  the  ex- 
perience of  their  seafaring  brethren.  It  enables  them  to  com- 
pare and  contrast  the  dillerent  tracks  taken  by  ships  on  long 
voyages,  and  it  is  for  them  that  I  have  given  the  particulars 
of  our  passage  off  and  around  Cape  Horn. 

It  will  therefore  be  easy  for  those  who  feel  no  interest  in 
storms,  gales,  or  ships'  courses  on  the  ocean,  or  such  as  have 
no  disposition  to  trace  on  a  map  the  track  of  a  ship,  to  turn 
over  the  leaves  of  this  part  of  my  narrative  without  reading 
them.  I  have  therefore  concluded  to  give  an  exact  copy  of 
my  journal,  as  it  occurred  from  day  to  day,  and  although  it 
may  possess  but  little  interest,  it  will,  at  least,  show  a  spirit  of 
determined  perseverance  to  surmount  every  obstacle. 

Saturday,  July  I6th. — During  the  whole  of  these  twenty- 
four  hours  we  experienced  a  continuation  of  strong  westerly 
gales,  with  a  high  head  sea  running  against  us,  still  plying  to 
windward,  under  close-reefed  topsails  and  a  reefed  foresail.  In 
this  dismal  region,  now  in  the  dead  of  winter,  we  have  long, 
dreary  nights,  and  short  days,  the  sun  appearing  for  a  few 
hours,  making,  as  it  were,  but  a  small  circle  to  the  north  of  us. 
and  then  sinking  into  deep  banks  of  dark  clouds. 

Lat.  by  obs.  5(3°  55'  S.  Long,  per  chron.  G5°  7'  30"  W. ; 
distance  run  per  log,  90  miles.  The  variation  of  the  compass 
at  sunsetting,  was  22°  57'  E.  Found  a  strong  current  setting 
to  the  eastward,  all  these  twenty-four  hours,  so  that  we  gained 
little  or  nothing.  In  fine,  it  is  very  difficult  to  hold  our  own 
against  these  strong  gales  and  lee  currents. 

Sunday,  July  17th. — These  twenty-four  hours,  like  the 
last,  commenced  with  strong  gales  from  the  westward,  and  a 
high  sea  running.  At  4  P.  M.  the  gale  wiis  so  violent  that 
we  took  in  all  sail  except  a  close-reefed  main-topsail,  and  a 
storm  main-staysail.  At  midnight,  it  suddenly  became  calm, 
when  the  ship  rolled  and  tumbled  about  for  several  hours  in 


200  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

the  trough  of  the  sea,  with  not  wind  enough  to  keep  her 
steady.  At  6  A.  M.  a  Hght  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  east- 
ward, when  we  sent  up  the  main-topgallant  yard,  and  set  the 
sail  with  a  foretopmast  studding-sail,  to  steady  the  ship.  Saw 
a  sail  bearing  E.  S.  E.,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  distant.  No 
observation ;  the  sun  obscured.  Lat.  by  D.  R.  57°  10'  S., 
long,  about  65°  8'  W. 

Monday,  July  \Sth. — These  tWenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  light  airs  from  the  eastward,  but  owing  to  a  high  sea  still 
running  from  the  westward,  we  made  but  little  progress  on  our 
course.  At  12,  midnight,  a  strong  breeze  sprung  up  from  the 
S.  W.,  attended  with  heavy  squalls  of  snow  and  hail.  Close 
reefed  the  topsails,  and  handed  the  main  and  foresails.  At  7 
A.  M.,  the  gale  moderated  a  little,  and  at  8  A.  M.,  daylight, 
saw  the  land  about  Cape  Horn,  bearing  by  the  compass  N.  W". 
half  W.,  distant  about  eight  leagues.  The  land  being  at  this 
time  covered  with  snow,  gave  it  a  very  dreary  appearance. 
We  soon  saw  the  high  snowy  mountains  in  the  interior  of 
Terra  del  Fuego,  bearing  about  N.  E.  some  sixty  or  seventy 
miles  distant.  We  also  saw  several  small  islands  near  Cape 
Deceit.  At  noon,  the  weather  being  clear  and  fine,  we  had 
an  uncommonly  good  view  of  Cape  Horn,  and  the  land  in  its 
vicinity.  It  was  about  seven  or  eight  leagues  to  the  north- 
ward of  us.  1  may  say  we  were  directly  off  the  pitch  of  the 
Cape,  beating  to  windward  day  after  day,  to  weather  this  con- 
spicuous landmark,  placed,  as  it  were,  in  the  midst  of  storms 
and  tempests.  Latitude,  by  a  good  observation  at  noon, 
56°  21'  south  ;  longitude,  by  chronometer,  67°  40'  30'  west. 
The  longitude  of  the  Cape,  as  laid  down  by  Bowditch,  is  67° 
21'  0"  W.  Making  a  just  allowance  for  the  bearing  and  dis- 
tance of  the  Cape,  I  fuid  the  chron,  diflers  but  a  mere  trifle 
from  the  longitude  laid  down  in  the  nautical  books  referred  to. 

Tuesday,  July  \Sitli. — These  twenty-four  hours  com- 
menced with  fresh  gales  from  the  W.  and  W.  N.  W.,  with 
squally,  snowy  weather.  The  land  about  Cape  Horn  still  in 
sight.     At  2  P.  M.  saw  a  ship  bearing  about  S.  E.,  standing 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  201 

upon  the  wind,  to  the  northward.  We  continued  to  have 
strong  gales  from  the  westward,  with  frequent  and  heavy- 
snow  squalls  throughout  all  these  twenty-four  hours.  Still 
beating  against  the  westerly  gales,  tacking  and  wearing  every 
four  or  six  hours.  At  meridian,  saw  the  land  about  Cape 
Horn,  bearing  N.  W.  by  compass,  ten  or  twelve  leagues  dis- 
tant. Lat.  by  obs.  56°  31'  S.  Long,  the  same  as  yesterday, 
67°  21'  W. 

Wednesday,  July  20th. — These  twenty-four  hours,  lilce  the 
last,  commenced  with  fresh  gales  from  the  westward,  with  a 
high  sea  running,  attended  with  squalls  of  snow  and  hail.  At 
midnight  it  blew  so  violently,  that  we  could  only  carry  a  close- 
reefed  main-topsail,  and  a  reefed  foresail,  with  now  and  then 
the  storm,  main,  and  mizzen  staysails.  At  noon  this  day,  the 
ther.  fell  down  to  28°  in  the  cabin,  and  the  water  that  came 
on  deck  instantly  froze.  The  decks  and  rigging  were  covered 
with  ice  and  snow,  so  that  it  was  difficnlt  to  work  the  ship, 
and  almost  impossible  to  gain  any  thing  by  beating  to  wind- 
ward, against  these  violent  storms  and  tempests.  Lat.  by 
obs.  56°  44'  S.  Long,  about  the  same  as  yesterday,  say  67° 
20'  W. 

Thursday,  July  2lst. — These  twenty-four  hours,  like  the 
last,  commenced  with  a  violent  gale  from  the  westward,  with 
squally  weather.  Still  plying  to  windward  under  close  reefed 
main-topsail  and  reefed  foresail.  At  midnight,  wore  ship  to 
the  S.  S.  E. — the  gale  a  little  more  moderate  ;  set  close-reefed 
topsails,  and  reefed  courses.  At  4  P.  M.  wore  ship  to  the 
northward  and  westward.  The  wind  now  hauled  to  the  S. 
S.  W.,  with  much  snow,  and  dark  gloomy  weather.  At  8  A. 
M.,  soon  after  daylight  saw  Cape  Horn  again,  bearing  N.  by 
W.  by  compass,  distant  six  or  seven  leagues.  At  the  same 
time,  Barnevelts  Island,  near  Cape  Horn,  bore  N.  by  E.  by 
compass,  distant  nine  or  ten  leagues.  At  this  time  the 
weather  became  clear,  which  gave  us  another  good  view  of 
Cape  Horn,  St.  Francis'  Bay,  and  the  adjacent  land.  Cape 
Horn  is  the  extreme  southern  point  of  Hermile's  Island.     It  is 


202  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

a  high  hill,  or  small  mountain,  and  is,  at  this  time,  covered 
with  snow.  The  land  immediately  adjoining  the  Cape  to  the 
northward  being  low  makes  it  appear,  at  a  distance,  like  a  de- 
tached headland,  or  a  separate  island.  The  mouth  of  St. 
Francis'  Bay  seemed  to  be  about  five  or  six  leagues  wide,  and 
I  should  judge  very  easy  of  access  ;  I  conclude,  if  compelled 
by  necessity  to  seek  a  port  for  shelter,  that  many  good  har- 
bors may  be  found  in  the  Bay  of  St.  Francis,  and  to  the  north- 
ward and  eastward  of  Cape  Horn,  in  what  is  called,  on  the 
charts,  Nassau  Bay.  I  also  observed,  that  when  we  approach- 
ed near  the  land,  the  wind  and  weather  became  more  mild 
and  moderate,  and  the  sea  much  smoother.  During  these 
twenty-four  hours  we  have  had  little  or  no  current,  notwith- 
standing the  gales  have  been  so  violent  from  the  westward  ; 
still  it  is  very  difficult  to  make  much  progress  mider  close- 
reefed  sails,  with  a  high  head  sea  always  running  against  us. 
At  7  A.  M.  wore  ship,  and  stood  off  shore  to  the  southward  ; 
wind  more  moderate. 

At  11  h.  0'  19"  A.  M.  the  longitude  per  the  chronometer 
was  67°  35'  0"  W.  At  this  time  Cape  Horn  bore  N.  by  E. 
true  course,  distant  thirty-eight  miles,  which  makes  the  chro- 
nometer differ  but  two  miles  from  the  longitude  of  the  Cape,  as 
laid  down  by  Bowditch.  No  observation  of  the  sun  at  noon, 
it  being  dark  and  cloudy. 

Friday,  July  22c/. — These  twenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  brisk  breezes  at  S.  W.,  with  dark,  cloudy  weather.  At 
one  o'clock  P.  M.  passed  near  a  ship.  We  showed  our  en- 
signs to  each  other ;  she  standing  on  shore  to  the  N.  W.,  and 
we  standing  off  shore  to  the  S.  S.  E. ;  wind  about  S.  W.  by 
W.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  it  blew  so  violently  from 
the  S.  W.,  and  the  sea  so  high,  that  we  were  obliged  to  take  in 
all  sail  again,  except  a  close-reefed  main-topsail  and  mizzen 
staysail.  The  weather  was  now  very  cold  and  dreary,  with 
much  ice  and  snow  about  the  decks,  so  that  the  ship  was  com- 
pletely cased  with  ice.  Thermometer  in  the  cabin  down  to 
27°.     I  think  this  gale  was  more  severe  than  any  of  the  pre- 


VOYAGE  IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  203 

ceding  ones.  These  twenty-four  honrs  end  with  a  continua- 
tion of  the  same  violent  tempest  from  the  S.  W.,  witli  a  moun- 
tainous sea  running.  Latitude  by  observation  57°  G'  south ; 
longitude  per  account,  say  67°  10'  W. 

Our  seamen  are  a  fine  set  of  men ;  not  one  of  them  has 
flinched  from  his  duty  since  we  left  New- York,  although  they 
have  been  so  severely  tried  by  heat,  cold,  tempest,  and  storm. 
Perfect  order  and  good  discipline  reigns  throughout  the  ship, 
every  man  obeys  with  alacrity,  and  they  seem  to  vie  with  each 
other  to  buffet  the  tempest,  and  with  the  most  indomitable 
perseverance  to  weather  Cape  Horn  at  all  hazards. 

Saturday^  July  23c/. — These  twenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  a  continuation  of  the  same  S.  W.  gale  which  we  had 
yesterday,  and  it  has  been  decidedly  the  worst  and  most  disa- 
greeable one  we  have  encountered  since  we  left  New- York. 
Throughout  the  night  it  blew  a  perfect  hurricane,  with  violent 
squalls  of  hail  and  snow,  with  a  mountainous  sea  running. 
We  have  been  lying  to  all  these  twenty-four  hours  under  a 
close-reefed  main- topsail  and  mizzen  staysail.  The  decks  are 
now  loaded  with  ice  and  snow,  and  the  ropes  about  the  bows 
of  the  ship  are  all  cased  and  covered  with  ice  to  thrice  their 
usual  size. 

At  a  moderate  calculation  we  have  on  deck  and  about  the 
sides  of  the  ship,  at  least  fifteen  tons  of  snow  and  ice.  Our 
situation  at  daylight  this  morning  was  very  gloomy  ;  lying  to 
ofl'  Cape  Horn  in  the  depth  of  winter,  the  ship  covered  with 
ice  and  snow,  with  constant  and  violent  gales  from  the  west- 
ward, roaring  at  times  like  letting  olf  the  steam  from  a  power- 
ful engine. 

No  observation  of  the  sun.  Latitude  by  D.  R.  57°  0'  south  ; 
longitude  by  account,  about  66°  45'  W.  Thermometer  in  the 
cabin  at  24°  above  zero, 

Sunday,  July  2ith. — These  twenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  fresh  gales  at  south,  with  a  high  sea  still  running  from 
the  westward,  from  the  effect  of  the  late  severe  gales  from 
that  quarter.     At   one  P.  M.    wore  ship   to   westward,  and 


204:  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

set  close-reefed  topsails  and  storm  staysails.  The  weather 
being  a  little  more  moderate,  we  were  enabled  to  proceed 
on  our  course  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  knots  the  hour. 

At  G  P.  M.  strong  gales,  with  squalls  of  snow  and  hail, 
handed  the  fore  and  mizzen  topsails.  At  6  A.  M.  set  close- 
reefed  fore  and  mizzen  topsails  again.  At  10  A.  M.  saw  the 
land  about  Cape  Horn,  bearing  W.  by  S.  per  compass,  distant 
about  six  or  seven  leagues.  Wore  ship  to  the  S.  E.,  and  stood 
off  shore,  not  being  able  to  weather  the  land  about  Cape 
Horn  :  much  ice  and  snow  still  about  the  decks  and  rigging  ; 
the  thermometer  in  the  cabin  generally  down  to  24°  above 
zero.  Latitude  by  an  indifferent  observation,  56°  6'  south. 
Longitude  per  account,  about  67°  0'  W.  The  gales  are  so 
violent,  and  always  so  contrary,  that  it  is  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  we  are  able  to  hold  our  ground,  with  the  utmost  vigi- 
lance and  unremitting  perseverance. 

Monday^  July  25/A.-— These  twenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  fresh  gales  at  S.  by  W.,  with  violent  squalls  of  hail  and 
snow,  attended  with  a  high  sea :  now  under  close-reefed 
topsails  and  reefed  courses.  At  4  P.  M.  saw  Barnevelts 
Island,  near  Cape  Horn,  bearing  S.  W.  by  compass,  about  six 
leagues  distant,  and  notwithstanding  we  now  have  a  southerly 
wind,  we  are  riot  able  to  profit  by  it,  as  we  are  not  far  enough 
to  the  westward  to  weather  Cape  Horn.  We  are  still  doomed 
to  beat  to  windward,  under  close-reefed  sails,  and  can  barely 
hold  our  own  against  the  stormy  tempest  and  high,  prevailing, 
contrary  sea,  which  we  are  daily  struggling  against,  and 
hoping  for  some  favorable  change.  We  have  generally  stood 
off  eight  hours,  and  on  shore  six,  and  with  great  exertion  have 
thus  far  nearly  held  our  ground  against  a  long  continuation  of 
contrary  gales,  adverse  ciu'rents,  and  a  high  rolling  sea.  Lati- 
tude by  observation,  55°  5  L'  S.  Longitude  by  account,  about 
66°  50'  west. 

Our  seamen  all  hold  out  remarkably  well.  Up  to  this  date 
not  one  of  them  has  been  sick,  or  disabled  in  any  way  from 
doing  his  duty  manfully. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  205 

Tuesday^  July  26th. — These  twenty- four  hours  commenced 
with  fresh  breezes  from  the  southward,  with  occasional  snow 
squalls.  At  8  P.  M.  saw  tlie  land  about  Cape  Horn,  bearing 
W.  S.  W.,  about  three  or  four  leagues  distant.  Wore  ship  ofl" 
shore  to  the  eastward,  not  being  able  to  stand  any  longer  on 
the  other  tack.  During  the  night  we  wore  and  tacked  ship 
generally  every  four  or  six  houis,  under  double-reefed  topsails 
and  reefed  courses.  At  7  A.  M.,  daylight,  Cape  Horn  bore  W. 
S.  W.,  distant  about  six  or  seven  leagues.  At  8  A.  M.  made 
several  short  tacks  to  windward,  hoping  to  weather  the  Cape  ; 
but  the  wind  being  contrary  and  baffling,  with  a  strong  cur- 
rent setting  to  the  N.  E.,  we  were  not  able  to  do  so.  Moderate 
breezes  from  the  southward,  and  dark  cloudy  weather.  No 
observation  of  the  sun  this  day.  Latitude  by  D.  R.  55°  59'  S. 
Longitude  about  66°  20'  W.  One  of  our  largest  hogs  died  last 
night  with  cold  and  fatigue,  notwithstanding  the  animal  was 
sheltered  and  covered  with  a  sail  along  with  four  others,  who 
thus  far  have  survived  the  cold  and  bad  weather. 

Wednesday,  July  27th. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four 
hours,  moderate  breezes  from  the  S.  S.  E.,  and  open  cloudy 
weather.  At  4  P.  M.  Cape  Horn  bore  by  compass  S.  W.,  dis- 
tant ten  or  eleven  leagues. 

We  found  a  current  setting  to  the  N.  E.,  say  about  half  a 
mile  the  hour.  The  wind  being  moderate  and  the  weather 
clear,  we  stood  in  near  the  land  until  nightfall,  when  we 
tacked  ship  and  stood  offshore  for  several  hours.  Strong 
breezes  at  S.  W.  by  S.  At  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  saw 
Cape  Horn  again,  bearing  S.  W.  by  S.,  about  twelve  leagues 
distant.  Strong  gales  at  S.  W.  and  clear  weather.  We  found 
during  the  whole  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  a  sensible  dif- 
ference in  the  temperature  of  the  air.  At  noon  this  day,  the 
thermometer  rose  to  37°  above  zero,  and  all  the  ice  and  snow 
have  disappeared  from  the  decks  and  rigging ;  and  not- 
withstanding the  wind  is  contrary,  things  generally  wear  a 
much  better  appearance  than  usual.  Latitude  by  a  good 
observation,  55°  56'  S.     At  noon  Cape  Horn  bore  W.  S.  W. 


206  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

by  compass,  ten  leagues  distant.  The  variation  of  the  com- 
pass is   about  22°,  or  say  two  points  easterly. 

Thursday,  July  2Sth. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four 
hours,  we  had  fresh  gales  from  Ihe  S.  W.,  and  open,  cloudy 
weather.  At  3  P.  M.  Cape  Horn  bore  S.  W.  by  compass, 
eleven  leagues  distant ;  and  Barnevelts  Island  W.  N.  W.  by 
compass,  about  five  leagues.  Took  in  fore  and  mizzen  top- 
sails, fresh  gales  at  S.  W.,  and  a  high  sea  running.  At  6 
P.  M.  wore  ship,  and  stood  off  shore  to  the  S.  E.  It  con- 
tinued to  blow  a  strong  gale  from  the  S.  S.  W.  during  the 
night.  At  7  A.  M.,  daylight,  it  became  a  little  more  moder- 
ate. Set  close-reefed  topsails,  and  a  reefed  foresail.  We  have 
had  one  and  a  half  knot  current,  setting  to  the  S.  E.  all 
these  twenty-four  hours.  Latitude  by  observation,  55°  52' 
south.     Longitude  per  account,  66°  0'  west. 

Friday,  July  29th. — These  twenty-four  hours  commenced 
with  fresh  breezes  at  S.  S.  W.,  with  open,  cloudy  weather ; 
now  standing  off  to  the  E.  S.  E.,  under  close-reefed  topsails 
and  reefed  courses.  At  8  P.  M.  let  one  reef  out  of  the  top- 
sails, and  7  A.  M.,  soon  after  daylight,  saw  the  snowy  moun- 
tains on  Terra  del  Fuego,  bearing  about  N.  W.  by  the  com- 
pass. At  9  o'clock  A.  M.  wore  ship  to  the  S.  E.,  the  wind 
having  hauled  to  S.  S.  W.  These  twenty-four  hours  end  with 
dark  gloomy  weather,  the  current  still  setting  to  the  N.  E. 
at  the  rate  of  a  mile  and  a  half  the  hour.  No  observation  of 
the  sun.  Latitude  by  D.  R.  55°  50'  south.  Longitude  about 
65°  0'  west. 

Saturday,  July  30th. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four 
hours  we  had  fresh  breezes  at  S.  S.  W.,  with  dark,  disagree- 
able weather ;  now  under  double-reefed  topsails  and  whole 
courses.  Middle  and  latter  part  of  these  twenty-four  hours 
we  had  a  continuation  of  fresh  breezes  from  the  same  quar- 
ter ;  although  we  have  had  occasional  squalls  of  snow,  still 
the  weather  is  milder.  Thermometer  at  noon,  in  the  cabin, 
stood  at  35°  above  zero.  Distance  per  log  seventy  miles, 
and  the  latitude  by  an   indilferent   observation  was  56°  37' 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  207 

south  ;  and  the   longitude  per   accovint,  04°  30'  west.      Still 
beating  off  dreary  Cape  Horn,  and  not  able  to  weather  it. 

Sunday,  July  "iist. — These  twenty-four  hours,  as  usual, 
commenced  with  strong  gales  from  the  S.  S.  W.,  and  dark, 
cloudy  weather  ;  steering  otf  to  the  S.  S.  E.,  at  the  rate  of 
three  or  four  knots  the  hour.  Middle  part,  fresh  breezes  at 
W.  by  S.,  and  cloudy  weather.  At  lOh.  44'  52"  xi.  M.  the 
longitude,  per  chronometer,  was  64°  50' ;  and  the  latitude, 
by  a  good  observation,  was  58^  6'  south.  Distance  made 
per  log,  seventy  miles.  At  noon  this  day,  the  sky  was  clear, 
and  the  temperature  milder,  which  is  very  remarkable  weather 
to  meet  with  off  Cape  Horn,  particularly  at  this  season  of  the 
year. 

Monday^  August  \st. — These  twenty-four  hours  com- 
menced with  moderate  breezes  from  the  westward,  and  a  high 
rolling  swell  from  the  same  quarter,  with  very  pleasant 
weather,  which  continued  through  the  day.  At  sunsetting  we 
found  the  variation  of  the  compass  to  be  22°  easterly.  Lati- 
tude at  noon  58°  48'  south.     Longitude  about  65°  30'  west. 

Tuesday,  August  2d. — First  and  middle  part  of  these 
twenty-four  hours  we  had  light  airs  and  calm,  cloudy  weather. 
At  two  hours  after  midnight,  there  sprung  up  a  light  breeze 
from  the  N.  E.,  which  continued  about  an  hour,  and  then 
hauled  round  to  the  westward  again,  and  began  to  snow.  At 
noon  single-reefed  the  topsails,  and  took  in  the  main-topgallant 
sail.  Latitude  by  a  good  observation,  58°  43'  south.  Distance 
run  per  log,  52  miles.  Longitude  per  account,  67°  10'  west. 
Thermometer  in  the  cabin  34°  above  zero. 

Wednesday,  August  3c?. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four 
hours  we  had  light  breezes  from  tiie  W.  N.  AV.,  with  light 
squalls  of  snow,  and  dark,  hazy  weather.  Toward  the  latter 
part  of  these  twenty-four  hours,  the  weather  became  warmer 
and  the  winds  light.  Our  prospects  begin  to  brighten,  and 
our  hopes  to  revive.  We  have  this  day  gained  about  seventy- 
two  miles  on  a  southwest  course.  Latitude  by  a  good 
observation,  59°  18'  south.  Longitude  per  chronometer,  68° 
28'  west. 


208  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

We  are  now,  after  a  hard  struggle,  a  few  miles  to  west- 
ward of  Cape  Horn  ;  but  having  been  detained  so  long  off  the 
cape,  we  concluded  to  husband  the  water,  and  consequently, 
put  every  soul  on  board  on  an  allowance  of  three  quarts  per 
day. 

Thursday^  August  Ath. — First  and  middle  part  of  these 
twenty-four  hours  we  had  fresh  breezes  from  the  northeast, 
and  fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  4  A.  M.  the  wind  suddenly 
shifted  to  the  southward,  and  continued  to  blow  a  fresh  gale 
from  that  quarter.  During  the  remainder  of  these  twenty- 
four  hours  we  had  fine,  fresh  breezes  from  the  southeast,  with 
occasional  squalls  of  snow  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
this  is  the  first  day  of  fair  wind  we  have  had  since  we  made 
Staten  Land,  on  the  9th  of  last  month.  We  have  made  144 
miles,  per  log,  on  a  direct  course,  and  we  have  now  a  fair 
prospect  of  weathering  the  Cape  in  a  few  days  from  this  date. 
Latitude  by  observation  at  noon,  58°  36'  south  ;  longitude  per 
chronometer,  72°  31'  west. 

Friday,  August  5th. — Fresh  gales  from  S.  S.  W.  to  S.  E., 
with  squalls  of  snow  and  sleet  throughout  all  these  twenty- 
four  hours.  We  have  generally  been  running  under  double- 
reefed  topsails  and  whole  courses,  with  a  main-topgallant-sail 
.^et,  all  these  twenty-four  hours,  and  have  made  161  miles,  log 
distance,  on  a  direct  course.  Latitude,  by  a  good  observation, 
56°  50'  south ;  longitude  per  chronometer,  76°  53'  west. 
Thermometer  in  the  cabin,  at  noon,  33°  above  zero. 

/Saturday,  Aiigust  Gth. — First  part  of  these  twenty-four 
hours,  we  had  fine  fresh  breezes  from  the  S.  S.  E.,  with  light 
squalls  of  snow ;  middle  part,  light  and  baffling  winds  from 
the  westward,  and  somewhat  squally.  At  two  hours  after 
midnight,  there  sprung  up  a  fresh  gale  from  the  southward, 
attended  with  snow  and  sleet ;  but  as  the  wind  was  fair,  we 
were  haj)py  to  proceed  on  our  course,  without  complaining  of 
the  weather.  In  fine,  we  have  become  so  much  accustomed 
to  hail,  sleet,  and  snow,  that  we  look  upon  these  storms  with 
but  little  dread  or  fear  ;  and  whenever  we  were  favored  with 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  209 

a  few  hours  of  fair  wind,  wc  considered  ourselves  very  fortu- 
nate. We  made  161  miles  per  log,  and  at  noon  found  the 
latitude  to  be  54'^  40'  south,  and  the  longitude,  by  the  chro- 
nometer, 77°  0'  west. 

Sunday,  August  7th. — It  is  now  twenty-nine  days  since 
we  made  Staten  Land,  since  which  time  we  have  been  con- 
stantly beating  and  battling  against  violent  gales  from  the 
westward ;  and  I  am  now  happy  to  say  that,  after  this  long 
and  severe  struggle,  we  have  fairly  weathered  Cape  Horn,  and 
got  once  more  into  the  mild  and  gentle  Pacific.  Latitude,  at 
noon,  50°  0'  south  ;  longitude,  78°  57'  west. 

I  shall  hereafter  discontinue  my  daily  journal,  and  only 
notice  the  little  incidents  that  occasionally  transpire,  while 
sailing  on  this  tranquil  sea.  None  but  those  who  have  doubled 
Cape  Horn  in  the  winter  season,  can  fully  realize  the  delight- 
ful sensations  produced  by  leaving  that  dreary  Cape,  with  its 
cold,  stormy  blasts,  and  then,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days, 
getting  into  the  bland  and  exhilarating  Pacific. 

We  are  now  sending  up  topgallant  mast,  and  preparing  to 
set  all  our  light  sails,  to  waft  us  over  the  deep  blue  waters  to 
where  the  skies  are  bright  and  clear,  there  to  inhale  the  pure 
air,  and  luxuriate  in  a  lovely  climate. 

After  fairly  getting  into  the  southeast  trades,  the  winds  are 
so  fresh  and  constant,  that  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  shift  or 
change  a  sail  for  several  consecutive  days. 

August  \2tli. — This  day,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
we  saw  four  strange  fish  ;  they  were  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  ship,  and  appeared  to  be  about  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
long,  with  large  heads — say  about  the  size  of  a  barrel— and 
in  swimming,  held  them  above  the  water.  They  seemed 
to  be  in  pairs,  and  were  to  us  a  great  curiosity,  as  no  one  on 
board  had  ever  seen  fish  of  this  description.  Latitude,  by  ob- 
servation, 42°  40' ;  longitude,  81°  0'  west. 

Sunday,  August  2\st. — Throughout  this  day  we  had 
fresh  trades  and  fine  weather.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning 
we  made  the  St.  Felix  Isles  ;  they  are  two  in  number,  of  a 
14 


210  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

moderate  height,  and  but  a  short  distance  asunder.  We  ran 
within  two  miles  of  them  ;  they  appeared  rocky  and  barren — 
have  but  a  few  stunted  trees  and  bushes  on  them  ;  they  are 
uninhabited,  and  of  no  importance  to  the  world,  except  to  a 
few  small  sealing  vessels  that  occasionally  touch  here  for  seal- 
skins. They  have  no  good  harbor,  and  lay  in  latitude  26°  20' 
south  ;  longitude,  80°  4'  west. 

Tuesday,  August  23rf. — We  continue  to  have  the  same 
fine,  fresh  southeast  trade-winds  daily,  with  studding-sails 
set  below  and  aloft.  We  this  day  got  the  anchors  on  the 
bows,  bent  the  cables,  cleared  out  the  cabin,  and  made  every 
preparation  for  going  into  port.  The  thermometer  daily  ranges 
from  75°  to  78°. 

Sunday,  August  2Sth. — At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at 
daylight,  made  the  Island  of  St.  Lorenzo  ;  we  soon  hauled  in 
shore,  and  ran  round  the  north  end  of  it,  and  steered  up  the 
bay  for  the  harbor  of  Callao  ;  but  as  we  approached  the  port,  I 
saw  a  Spanish  flag  flying  on  the  castle,  and  a  Peruvian  en- 
sign at  a  little  distance  on  a  fort,  in  a  little  village  called  Bel- 
lavista.  These  forts  were  perhaps  a  mile  asunder,  and  kept 
up  a  constant  firing  at  each  other.  At  7  x\.  M.  I  boarded  the 
American  brig  Herald,  of  Salem,  then  lying  at  anchor  near  St. 
Lorenzo.  The  captain  of  this  vessel  informed  me  that  it  was 
unsafe  lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Callao.  He  said  the 
Spaniards  and  Peruvians  were  at  war — that  the  castles  at 
Callao  were  in  possession  of  the  Spaniards,  and  that  they 
were  besieged  by  the  Peruvians,  both  by  land  and  water — 
that  all  the  merchant  ships  had  left  Callao,  and  gone  to  a  lit- 
tle port  called  Chorillos,  about  five  leagues  to  the  southward. 

We  accordingly  tacked  ship,  and  stood  out  of  the  bay. 
While  standing  out,  we  were  boarded  by  an  oiRcer  from  the 
Peruvian  frigate  Maria  Isabella,  under  command  of  Admiral 
Blanco.  The  officer  treated  us  politely,  and  confirmed  the 
information  given  us  by  the  captain  of  the  Herald  ;  that 
nothing  could  be  done,  in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  at 
Callao,  and  that  Chorillos  had   for  the   present  become   the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  211 

port  of  Lima.  We  accordingly  stood  out  the  bay,  bound  to 
Chorillos,  with  a  hght  breeze  at  S.  E.,  and  somewhat  hazy 
weather.  We  continued  to  hear  firing  at  intervals  of  four  or 
five  minutes  during  the  whole  of  these  last  twenty-four  hours. 
In  the  afternoon  of  this  day  the  wind  freshened,  and  enabled 
us  to  reach  the  httle  bay  of  Chorillos  about  six  o'clock,  P.  M., 
when  we  came  to  anchor  in  six  fathoms  of  water,  and  moored 
ship — having  had  133  days  passage  from  New-York.  We 
found  lying  here  about  forty  ships  and  vessels  of  all  descrip- 
tions, including  several  English,  French,  and  American  men- 
of-war.  I  remained  on  board  all  night,  and  the  next  morning 
proceeded  on  horseback  to  Lima — the  distance  being  twelve 
miles,  over  a  pretty  good  road. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  my  first  letter  to  my  own- 
ers : 

Lima,  Sept.  3d,  1825. 
Messrs.  N.  L.  &  G.  Griswold, 

Gentlemen  : — I  am  happy  to  advise  you  of  my  safe  ar- 
rival at  this  port,  on  the  29th  ultnno,  after  a  passage  of  133 
days.  It  has  been  rather  long,  still,  its  length  is  not  to  be  re- 
gretted, as  I  fear  I  have  come  to  an  overstocked  market,  par- 
ticularly for  flour  ;  in  this  case,  therefore,  it  is  better  to  delay 
selling  (except  such  articles  as  are  in  active  demand),  and 
wait  for  a  further  advance  in  prices,  for  such  goods  as  will  not 
command  a  profit  at  present. 

On  my  arrival,  I  found  all  my  mercantile  friends  anxious 
to  get  the  consignment  of  the  Governor  Clinton  and  her  cargo, 
but  none  of  them  were  willing  to  divide  commissions  with 
me,  or  to  abate  any  thing  from  their  very  high  charges,  par- 
ticularly the  three  American  houses  established  here,  and  thus, 
after  repeated  trials  and  offers  to  these  commercial  gentlemen, 
I  could  do  nothing  towards  an  arrangement. 

I  then  agreed  with  an  English  merchant,  by  the  name  of 
Thomas  Green,  who  had  every  privilege  of  a  native  citizen; 
he  agreed  to  do  my  custom-house  business  for  a  reasonable 


212  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

compensation  ;  I  have  hired  a  warehouse  at  $40  per  month, 
into  which  I  shall  put  a  small  portion  of  my  cargo,  and  keep 
samples  of  what  I  have  on  board  ;  by  this  arrangement  I  shall 
be  able  to  dispose  of  such  articles  as  are  in  demand,  without 
the  assistance  of  a  merchant  or  a  broker,  and  hope,  by  so 
doing,  to  save  you  several  thousand  dollars.  I  have  already 
sold  all  my  white  beeswax,  viz.,  twenty-two  bales,  at  $105 
the  quintal ;  my  claret  wine,  I  have  also  disposed  of  at  $6 
per  box,  and  several  other  articles  at  a  corresponding  profit. 

As  the  ship  that  conveys  this  letter  is  on  the  eve  of  sailing, 
I  have  not  time  to  enter  into  a  detailed  account  of  my  trans- 
actions, I  can  only  assure  you  that  I  shall  do  all  in  my  power 
to  promote  your  interest. 

A  person  acquainted  with  commercial  affairs,  will  readily 
perceive  that  I  must  have  met  with  numerous  difficulties,  in 
thus  attempting  to  transact  my  own  business  in  a  country 
where  it  is  a  universal  custom  to  employ  an  established 
commercial  house,  to  perform  and  manage  the  business  of 
strangers ;  consequently  I  had  a  powerful  combination  of  ba- 
kers, speculators,  and  merchants  to  contend  with,  not,  indeed, 
openly,  for  many  of  them  were  too  liberal  and  gentlemanly  to 
avow  it ;  still  it  was  a  bold  and  daring  experiment  for  a  stran- 
ger to  attempt,  and  brought  down  on  my  head  much  ill- 
feeling,  and  secret  wishes  that  I  should  not  accomplish  suc- 
cessfully what  I  had  so  presumptuously  undertaken. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  found  lying  at  Chorillos  the  ship 
Ann  Maria,  and  the  brig  Brazilian,  belonging  to  my  owners, 
who,  it  will  be  perceived,  had  authorized  me  to  employ  the 
latter  vessel  in  any  way  that  I  should  find  expedient,  to  pro- 
mote the  interest  of  my  voyage.     1  had  also  the  efficient  aid 

of  Mr. ,  my  assistant  supercargo,  and  Captain  Hepburn, 

to  manage  the  ship,  and  dispose  of  whatever  portion  of  the 
cargo  he  could  do  to  advantage  at  Chorillos,  together  with 
considerable  assistance  from  Captains  Griswold  and  Hatch,  of 
the  before-named  vessels. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  213 

Not  long  previous  to  my  arrival  at  Peru,  so  many  cargoes 
of  flour  had  been  imported  from  the  United  States  and  Chili, 
that  the  market  had  absolutely  been  glutted  for  many  months. 
It  had  at  one  time  been  sold  as  low  as  four  dollars  per  barrel, 
and  was  now  getting  more  in  demand,  and  as  none  had  re- 
cently arrived,  I  had,  in  a  measure,  the  control  of  the  market, 
still  I  could  not  get  ofl'ered  over  ten  dollars.  I  had  1800 
barrels  of  this  article,  and  deemed  it  advisable  to  dispose  of  it, 
for  fear  of  other  arrivals;  accordingly,  in  a  few  days  after  this 
period,  I  sold  to  Messrs,  Robinet  &  Wheelright,  a  Guayaquil 
house,  1000  barrels,  at  twelve  dollars  and  a  half,  deliverable 
at  that  place ;  the  balance  I  soon  retailed,  say  about  a  hun- 
dred barrels  at  a  time,  to  the  bakers,  at  thirteen  dollars,  and 
thus  weathered  upon  a  powerful  combination  of  speculators, 
who  imagined  that  I  should  never  be  able  to  carry  out  my  in- 
dependent plan.  I  also  shipped  toGuayaquil,  by  Captain  Hatch, 
in  the  Brazilian,  a  quantity  of  crockery  ware,  sheet-lead,  and 
sundry  other  articles,  that  were  not  saleable  here. 

After  I  had  dispatched  the  Brazilian  to  Guayaquil,  I  con- 
tinued, from  day  to  day,  to  dispose  of  whatever  portion  of  my 
cargo  would  pay  a  fair  profit.  It  was  my  intention,  when 
this  object  was  accomplished,  to  leave  Chorillos,  with  the  resi- 
due, for  Guayaquil ;  this,  however,  depended  on  the  news  I 
should  receive  from  Valparaiso,  and  the  intermediate  ports. 

It  \iras  the  prevailing  opinion  here,  that  Gen.  Rodil  would 
not  be  able  to  hold  out,  and  keep  possession  of  the  castles  but 
a  few  months  longer,  and  should  he  receive  no  succor  from 
Spain,  it  was  confidently  asserted  that  he  would  be  obliged  to 
surrender  in  the  course  of  six  months  from  this  date. 

On  my  arrival  at  Lima,  I  learned  tlu;  following  facts  :  that 
Generals  Bolivar  and  Sucre  had,  on  the  Gth  of  August,  1S24, 
compelled  the  royalists,  under  General  Cantarac,  to  evacuate 
Lima,  and  retire  into  the  interior,  where,  after  much  skirmish- 
ing, a  general  battle  took  place  at  Ayacuacho,  on  the  9th  of 
December,  1824,  which  resulted  in  the  entire  defeat  of  the 
royalist  force,  consisting  of  9,300  strong,  while  that  of  the  pa- 
triots only  amounted  to  5.800.     Two  of  th.e  Spanish  generals 


214  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

were  taken  prisoners,  and  Cantarac,  the  commander-in-chief 
of  the  Spanish  army,  capitulated  on  the  field  of  battle,  and 
agreed  that  the  Spanish  army  should  lay  down  their  arms,  and 
evacuate  the  whole  country.  Thus,  the  battle  of  Ayacuacho 
decided  the  fate  of  South  America. 

At  the  time  Cantarac  left  Lima  for  the  interior.  General 
!^odil,  with  about  1,500  or  2,000  Spanish  soldiers,  threw  him- 
self into  the  castles,  at  Callao,  and  there  refused  to  surrender 
to  the  patriots,  and  would  not  submit  to  the  capitulation  of 
General  Cantarac. 

The  fortifications  of  Callao  consist  of  two  round  castles, 
connected  by  subterranean  arches,  and  another  fort,  or  castle, 
on  the  point,  stretching  towards  San  Lorenzo — all  command- 
ing the  inner  harbor  of  Callao  Bay.  All  these  forts  together 
contain  more  than  sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  mostly  of  a  large 
calibre. 

The  principal  castle  was  formerly  called  by  the  Spaniards, 
"St.  Felipe,"  but  is  now  called  "Independencia." 

General  Rodil,  as  I  have  before  stated,  retired  to  the  cas- 
tles of  Callao,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1824  ;  consequently, 
when  I  arrived  in  Callao  Bay,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1825,  he 
had  already  been  shut  up  and  closely  besieged  (both  by  sea 
and  land)  in  these  castles,  for  more  than  a  year,  and  at  this 
time  strenuously  refused  to  listen  to  any  terms  of  capitulation 
from  the  Peruvians.  Rodil  was  a  stern,  iron-hearted  warrior, 
and,  it  was  said,  very  regardless  of  human  life. 

He  had  scarcely  a  hope  of  any  succor  or  relief  from  Spain, 
and  in  my  opinion,  should  have  capitulated  upon  honorable 
terms,  and  thus  saved  the  Jives  of  hundreds  of  his  unfor- 
tunate fellow-beings,  who  were  subsequently  sacrificed  by 
famine  and  disease  to  gratify  his  inordinate  and  selfish  am- 
bition. 

A  large  portion  of  the  Spanish  population  and  others,  sus- 
pected of  belonging  to  the  Spanish  party,  men,  women  and 
children  left  Lima,  and  took  refuge  with  Rodil  in  the  castles 
and  town  of  Callao.     I  was   told   their  number  amounted  to 


VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  215 

from  800  to  1000  souls.  My  worthy  old  friend  and  consignee 
on  a  former  voyage,  Don  Francisco  X.  Iscue,  was  one  of  the 
number.  This  gentleman  finally  died  of  extreme  suffering 
and  starvation. 

I  was  informed  that  the  authorities  of  Lima  would  not  al- 
low these  unfortunate  people  to  return  there  again.  Some 
months  after  the  commencement  of  the  siege,  when  provi- 
sions became  scarce  and  very  difficult  to  be  obtained,  Rodil 
turned  them  out  of  the  castle  into  the  town  of  Callao,  and  re- 
served all  his  eatables  for  himself  and  his  soldiers,  so  that  these 
poor  ill-fated  beings  were  thrust  out  between  the  fire  of  the 
two  belligerent  parties,  and  were  left  literally  to  starve  to  death. 
A  great  portion  of  the  garrison,  and  particularly  the  civilians, 
had  already  died  of  hunger.  They  had  eaten  all  their  horses, 
and  what  provision  they  had  left  was  sparingly  served  out  to 
sustain  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  garrison.  About  this 
time  my  old  friend,  Iscue,  contrived  to  get  a  letter  to  his  family 
in  Lima,  stating  that  he  was  very  ill,  that  he  had  now  and 
then  been  able  to  purchase  a  few  eggs  at  a  dollar  each,  and 
for  a  small  chicken  he  was  obliged  to  pay  from  four  to  five 
dollars,  and  for  all  other  eatables  in  a  like  proportion.  The 
poorer  part  of  their  number  who  had  no  money,  of  course  were 
left  to  starve.  Such  was  the  treatment  these  miserable  beings 
received  from  the  two  fighting  parties,  who  no  doubt  called 
themselves  Christians.  I  will  here  relate  a  barbarous  butchery 
that  occurred  about  eight  months  previous  to  my  arrival  at 
that  place.     It  was  as  follows : 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1824,  a  patriot  force  of  new  re- 
cruits which  had  been  collected  on  the  northern  coast,  entered 
the  city.  It  was  commanded  by  the  Colombian  General, 
Urdaneta,  and  consisted  of  about  seven  himdred  men.  As 
soon  as  it  entered,  all  the  bells  were  rung,  and  in  a  (c\v  mo- 
ments the  streets  near  the  Grand  Plaza  were  thronged  with 
people  mixed  in  a  promiscuous  and  dense  crowd  of  all  ages 
and  conditions.  The  Cabildo,  or  city  authorities,  assembled, 
and  a  dinner  was  got  ready  immediately  ;  thirty  covers  were 


216  VOYAGE   IN-  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

ordered  for  the  officers,  the  troops  did  not  halt.  Being  fatigued 
with  marching,  they  passed  through  tlie  city  in  a  very  disor- 
derly manner  and  took  the  road  for  Callao.  As  they  ap- 
proached the  half-way  house  (La  Legua),  they  were  set  upon 
by  Alaix,  an  officer  sent  by  Rodil,  from  the  castles  at  Callao. 
This  officer  with  his  men,  about  two  hundred  dragoons,  were 
lying  in  ambush,  and  when  these  raw  troops  approached,  they 
sallied  out,  speared  and  cut  to  pieces  this  patriot  divi- 
sion in  every  direction ;  no  quarter  was  given,  and  all 
who  came  within  the  reach  of  cutlasses  and  lances, 
were  put  to  death.  The  fugitives  were  panic  struck,  and 
fled  in  every  direction.  Those  that  escaped  to  the  city 
were  pursued  to  the  very  gates,  and  the  dragoons  even  en- 
tered the  town.  The  fugitives  continued  their  flight  to 
Chancay.  a  distance  of  fifteen  leagues,  in  complete  disper- 
sion. More  than  seventy  were  killed  on  the  road,  and  twelve 
within  the  gates  of  the  city.  The  Spanish  loss  was  only  one 
man  killed,  and  he  was  stabbed  by  a  citizen  while  in  the  act 
of  plundering  an  officer,  whom  he  had  cut  down  in  the  street. 
An  American  gentleman  told  me,  that  from  a  balcony  he 
saw  the  bodies  of  the  patriot  officer  and  the  Spanish  soldier, 
and  that  he  afterwards  saw  the  twelve  men  that  were  killed 
within  the  gate.  That  their  mangled  bodies  were  collected 
and  laid  side  by  side  immediately  after  the  action  (if  such  it 
could  be  called).  One  man  had  received,  at  least  five  mortal 
wounds,  and  I  was  told  by  an  English  gentleman  who  resided 
near  the  gate,  that  he  saw  from  his  balcony,  that  the  poor 
wretch  who  received  the  five  wounds,  was  attacked  by  at  least 
half  a  dozen  Spanish  cavalry;  that  he  was  on  foot,  without 
arms,  and  while  begging  on  his  knees  for  quarter,  they  told 
him  "  they  would  give  him  quarter  in  hell."  And  immediately 
a  lance  was  driven  through  his  body,  the  lower  part  of  his 
face  was  chopped  oil  by  a  stroke  of  a  cutlass,  two  balls  passed 
through  his  throat,  and  one  through  his  breast.  Two  or  three 
of  those  killed  within  the  city,  were  recognized  as  citizens; 
and  were  without  arms  or  uniforms.  They  had  followed 
the  patriot  troops  on  their  advance  towards  Callao,  as  much 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  217 

from  curiositv  as  from  any  other  motive.  There  were  only 
about  twelve  of  the  Spanish  dragoons  who  entered  within  the 
gates,  and  the  slaughter  was  committed  in  a  few  minutes, 
when  ihey  rapidly  retreated  back  to  Callao. 

General  Bolivar  had  just  left  the  patriot  army  in  the  inte- 
rior, and  arrived  in  Chancay,  at  the  moment  the  fugitives 
entered  that  place.  He  inquired  into  the  cowardly  affair,  and 
by  his  order  three  or  four  of  the  officers  were  shot,  and  several 
others  cashiered.  He  said  the  men  would  have  stood  their 
ground  if  the  officers  had  set  them  tlie  example ;  for  it  ap- 
peared on  the  trial  that  the  officers  of  the  leading  platoons  first 
turned  to  the  right-about,  and  this  threw  the  whole  column 
into  confusion.  The  Commanding  General,  Urdaneta,  upon 
whom  the  chief  censure  ought  to  have  fallen,  escaped  without 
punishment.  In  extenuation  of  this  dastardly  affair,  it  is  true 
that  these  raw  troops  had  that  day  marched  many  leagues 
over  a  bad  stony  road,  and  had  not  halted  during  the  heat  of 
the  day,  and  were  consequently  very  much  fatigued,  as  well 
as  their  horses,  and  did  not  expect  to  meet  an  enemy  lying  in 
ambush.  Thus  this  column  was  evidently  taken  by  surprise, 
dispersed,  and  butchered  without  resistance,  like  a  flock  of 
sheep. 

Immediately  after  this  affair,  Rodil  decreed  the  punishment 
of  death  for  the  removal  of  the  remains  of  those  who  fell  on 
the  Callao  road  on  this  occasion,  and  said  they  should  be  left 
there  to  be  devoured  by  the  dogs  and  turkey-buzzards.  He 
also  said  he  would  make  fifes  of  all  the  bones  of  the  d — d 
rebels  that  fell  into  his  hands.  Forty-two  bodies  were  lying 
on  or  near  the  road,  and  there  they  remained,  until  they  were 
in  fact  devoured  as  Rodil  had  decreed.  They  were  frequently 
ridden  over  by  the  Spanish  cavalry  on  passing  up  and  down 
the  road,  and  their  skulls  trampled  upon  and  crushed  to  pieces 
by  the  horses'  hoofs,  as  if  another  pang  could  be  inflicted  on 
the  dead. 

These,  it  is  true,  are  minute  details,  but  they  will  serve  to 
show  the  scenes  of  vindictive  murder  and  butchery  practised 


218  VOYAGE   IX   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

during  the  fierce  and  stormy  war  of  the  South  American 
Revolution. 

From  this  period,  November  3d,  until  after  the  battle  of 
Ayacuacho,  which  took  place  on  the  9th  of  December  follow- 
ing, Rodil  had  not  only  the  command  of  the  castles  at  Callao, 
but  over  all  the  grounds  between  the  two  places,  and  strictly  en- 
forced his  decree  with  respect  to  the  before-mentioned  dead 
bodies  on  and  near  the  Callao  road.  And  when  General 
Bolivar  returned  to  Lima  wuh  his  victorious  army,  he  would 
not  bury  the  remains  of  these  slaughtered  victims;  and  thus, 
I  suppose,  from  state  policy  they  were  left  to  incite  a  vindictive 
feeling  of  revenge  among  the  natives  of  South  America  against 
their  deadly  enemies,  the  Old  Spaniards  or  "Godoas,"*  as 
they  were  familiarly  called  by  the  South  Americans. 

Soon  after  the  patriot  army  returned  to  the  capital.  Rodil 
and  his  troops  were  soon  shut  up  in  the  castles  at  Callao. 
The  Peruvian  party  had  erected  at  Bella-Vista  (a  small  vil- 
lage about  a  mile  from  the  castle)  a  strong  fort  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  pieces  of  heavy  cannon,  and  thus  Rodil  was  closely  and 
rigidly  besieged  both  by  sea  and  land.  From  this  position 
(Bella- Vista),  they  cannonaded  the  town  and  castles  during  the 
whole  siege,  which  lasted  until  .lanuary  22d,  182G ;  and  from 
this  battery  constant  firing  was  kept  up  night  and  day,  with 
the  exception  of  short  intervals  of  an  hour  or  two  to  eat  and 
sleep;  and  in  the  same  manner  it  was  returned  from  the  forts 
and  castles  of  Callao.  From  the  fort  at  Bella-Vista  they  dug 
a  ditch  m  a  zig-zag  direction  towards  the  castle  ;  this  ditch 
was  about  four  feet  deep  and  six  feet  wide,  and  by  stooping  a 
little,  the  men  could  not  be  seen  from  the  forts.  General  Rodil 
had  a  canvas  tent  erected  on  the  principal  fort  in  the  castle, 
under  which  he  and  some  of  his  principal  staff  oflicers  sat, 
watching  daily  with  spy-glasses  the  effect  of  the  shot  and 
shells  thrown  from  the  castle  at  his  enemy  at  Bella-Vista.  In 
the  bay  at  Callao  the  Peruvians  had  a  frigate,  several  sloops- 

*  The  word  "  Godoas,"  means  Goths  or  Vandals. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON,  219 

of-\var,  and  a  number  of  gun-boats,  so  that  nothing  could  go 
out  or  enter  the  castle  by  water.  Occasionally,  as  if  for  mere 
sport,  the  ships-of-war  and  gun-boats  would  run  in  near 
enough  to  fire  into  the  castle  and  town  of  Callao,  and  thus 
after  keeping  up  a  warm  contest  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes, 
would  haul  off  again,  sometimes  with  the  loss  of  a  few  poor 
devils  on  both  sides.  They  all  appeared  to  enjoy  the  sport  of 
shooting  at  each  other  without  any  definite  object. 

One  day  I  rode  down,  in  company  with  several  American 
gentlemen,  from  Lima  to  Bella-Vista,  where  we  arrived  about 
one  hour  after  noon,  when  both  parties  had  ceased  firing,  to 
dine  and  take  their  siesta.  There  was  scarcely  a  house  in  the 
village  standing  that  was  not  riddled  like  a  grater  with  shot, 
and  the  ground  in  every  direction  torn  and  ploughed  up  with 
shot  and  shells.  We  entered  the  ditch,  or  covered  way,  duck- 
ing our  heads  low  enough  so  as  not  to  be  seen  from  the  castles. 
The  ditch  was  made  to  approach  the  castle  in  this  man- 
ner /\/'\/\'  We  went  to  the  last  angle  of  the  covered 
way,  where  they  had  planted  a  gun  and  a  mortar  or  two ;  I 
should  think  it  was  somewhat  less  than  half  a  mile  from  the 
castle,  at  the  turning  of  these  angles.  It  was  always  neces- 
sary to  have  a  great  quantity  of  fascines,  or  bundles  of  brush- 
wood and  bags  of  sand,  to  form  a  shelter  from  the  shot. 

The  engineer  then  directing  the  progress  of  the  work,  was 
a  French  gentleman,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted.  He  told 
me  they  had  a  short  time  before  completed  the  last  angle,  and 
showed  me  the  handle  of  a  shovel,  which  had  just  been  shot 
asunder ;  the  shot  had  covered  the  men  with  dust  and  dirt, 
but  no  one  had  been  hit  that  day. 

For  the  amusement  of  our  party,  a  soldier,  with  a  long 
speaking-trumpet,  stood  upon  the  top  of  the  works  and  hailed 
the  fort,  calling  General  Rodil  all  sorts  of  bad  names,  such  as 
"Rodil,  tu  llijo  de  p — a  picaro — Bribon,"  and  other  low,  vul- 
gar names.  Fortunately  the  man  was  not  noticed  from  the 
castle,  and  no  firing  took  place  while  we  remained  there. 

A  few  weeks,  however,  previous  to  our  visit,  while  tlie  Pe- 


220  VOYAGE  IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

ruvian  soldiers  were  turning  one  of  these  angles,  the  men  were 
dodging  and  ducking  to  avoid  the  shot,  when  a  colonel  of  en- 
gineers, somewhat  provoked  at  them  for  dodging,  sharply  re- 
proved them  for  their  fears,  and  placed  himself  on  the  top  of 
the  works,  and  there  exposed  his  whole  person  to  the  shot  of 
the  enemy,  to  show  his  men  that  he  was  not  afraid.  In  ano- 
ther instant,  a  shot  came  and  severed  his  body.  He  was  taken 
to  Lima,  and  had  a  pompous  military  funeral.  I  saw  his  re- 
mains in  a  church,  laid  out  in  great  state,  and  after  a  solemn 
Te  Deurn  was  chanted,  he  was  interred  with  great  eclat. 
The  roaring  of  cannon,  and  the  sound  of  solemn  music  pro- 
duced a  profound,  patriotic  sensation,  and  no  doubt  the  youth- 
ful portion  of  the  community  envied  him  his  glorious,  heroic 
death.  Such  has  ever  been,  and  will  long  continue  to  be,  the 
feeling  in  favor  of  the  barbarous  trade  of  war,  and  its  vain- 
glorious attendants.  Perhaps,  at  some  future  period  of  the 
world,  when  the  pure  spirit  of  Christianity  shall  become  gen- 
eral, and  the  peaceful  and  benevolent  principles  of  Jesus  Christ 
shall  be  carried  out,  both  in  the  letter  and  spirit,  the  barba- 
rous profession  of  arms  will  be  laid  aside  for  a  more  just  and  hu- 
mane method  of  settling  disputes  among  the  children  of  men. 

Although  more  than  eight  months  had  elapsed  since  the 
butchery  on  the  Callao  road,  I  often  saw,  while  riding  between 
Lima  and  that  place,  the  carcasses  and  bones  of  these  slaugh- 
tered victims,  and  I  can  truly  say,  they  presented  a  spectacle 
too  disgusting  for  language  to  describe. 

During  my  stay  at  Lima,  I  frequently  saw  General  Boli- 
var, and  regret  I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  his  personal  ac- 
quaintance. Several  Americans  possessed  his  entire  confi- 
dence, and  one  of  my  American  friends  was  on  very  intimate 
terms  wilii  him,  and  spent  many  days  at  his  residence.  From 
him  I  gathered  many  particulars  of  the  life  and  character  of 
this  great  man.  lie  was  slightly  built,  and  I  should  judge, 
was  about  five  feet  seven  inches  in  height,  thin  visage,  dark 
complexion,  with  a  dark  piercing  eye,  high  forehead,  and  a 
very  expressive  intellectual  countenance,  quick  m  all  his  mo- 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  221 

tions,  and  possessed  a  very  irascible  temper.  He  was  ex- 
tremely generous  in  money  matters,  and  very  regardless  of 
wealth.  In  February,  1825,  the  Peruvian  Congress  voted 
to  the  Liberator,  as  General  Bolivar  was  called,  a  million 
of  dollars,  which  he  thrice  refused,  but  afterwards  re- 
quested that  it  should  be  given  to  the  army.  lie  also  refused 
a  salary  of  $50,000  a  year,  and,  like  Washington,  asked  only 
that  his  expenses  should  be  paid,  which,  though  arbitrary, 
doubtless,  amounted  to  a  less  sum.  He  was  not  avaricious, 
though  extremely  fond  of  military  fame.  About  tliis  time  the 
Peruvian  Congress  presented  him,  and  his  friend.  General 
Sucre,  each  an  elegant  sword,  with  a  gold  scabbard,  and  the 
hill  richly  set  with  diamonds.  General  Bolivar  left  Peru  in 
September,  1826,  and  returned  to  his  native  country,  Colombia. 

I  heard,  from  the  person  alluded  to,  many  little  sayings 
and  anecdotes  relating  to  this  iron-hearted  warrior,  whom  the 
Peruvians  called  the  Washington  of  the  South — a  few  of 
which  I  will  narrate.  He  once  said,  "I  suppose  you  and  your 
countrymen  take  me  for  a  savage,  which  is  true,  in  a  jneasure  :  I 
am  not  so  by  nature,  but  have  been  made  almost  one  by  cam- 
paigning so  many  years  over  the  wild  mountains  of  Colombia 
and  Peru." 

"  Your  Washington  had  to  manage  men  that  were  moral 
and  patriotic,  and  could  therefore  pursue  a  different  course  from 
what  1  am  compelled  to  do  :  I  am  leading  and  governing  a 
race  of  half-civilized  beings,  and  must  cut  down  all  opposition 
with  the  sword  ;  were  they  more  enlightened,  I  could  pursue 
a  different  course  ;  but  situated  as  I  am.  and  knowing  the 
character  of  those  I  command,  I  am  constrained  to  shed  much 
blood  for  the  benefit  of  these  unfortunate  States,  which  have 
been  so  long  kept  in  superstition  and  darkness  by  the  wicked 
policy  of  Spain." 

The  same  gentleman  once  observed  to  him,  that  no  perma- 
nent peace  or  tranquillity  could  be  sustained  in  Peru,  until  the 
power  of  the  clergy  was  reduced  or  abolished ;  and  then  ob- 
served, that  the  sooner  the  church  property  was  confiscated  to 


222  VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

the  State,  and  all  the  bells  of  the  churches  run  up  and  cast 
into  cannon,  the  sooner  the  country  would  be  regenerated  and 
become  intelligent ;  and  farther  observed,  that  the  eternal 
jingling  of  bells  helped  to  perpetuate  and  keep  alive  the  old 
Spanish  superstition.  Bolivar  replied,  "You  are  right  in  your 
opinion  on  this  subject ;  but  the  time  to  do  this  has  not  yet 
arrived  ;  it  must  be  done  not  suddenly,  but  gradually  ;  and 
when  the  younger  portion  of  the  country  come  upon  the  stage, 
it  can  be  effected,  but  not  at  present." 

I  often  witnessed  one  judicious  arrangement  of  General 
Bolivar,  while  I  remained  at  Lima.  On  Sundays  and  holidays 
he  ordered  all  the  schoolmasters,  with  their  pupils,  to  assem- 
ble on  the  Grand  Plaza,  in  front  of  the  Palace,  where  himself 
and  his  principal  officers  were  seated  in  the  balconies,  and 
here  accompanied  by  a  fine  band  of  military  music,  they  were 
all  taught  to  sing  hymns  and  national  songs  of  liberty  and  in- 
dependence. I  shall  never  forget  the  joy  and  enthusiasm  with 
which  these  patriotic  songs  seemed  to  inspire  the  numerous 
young  hearts  who  were  chanting  in  the  presence  of  the  brave 
and  distinguished  warriors  who  had  achieved  their  independ- 
ence, and  driven  from  their  country  the  tyrants  who  had  so 
long  enslaved  and  oppressed  their  fathers.  And  when  they 
were  addressed  by  an  orator  appointed  for  the  occasion,  and 
beheld  the  Peruvian  flag  wave  over  their  heads,  the  applause 
and  enthusiasm  were  astounding. 

While  trading  up  and  down  this  coast,  whether  at  Guaya- 
quil or  Lima,  I  never  felt  that  my  person  or  property  was  safe, 
when  far  from  the  influence  of  General  Bolivar,  or  some  one 
acting  immediately  under  his  command.  In  short,  to  sum  up 
all  in  one  word,  the  Liberator  was  in  these  States  what  Bona- 
parte was  in  France,  in  the  height  of  his  power. 

In  my  visit  to  Callao,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  etfect 
of  habit  on  the  minds  of  those  who  were  employed  in  carrying 
on  the  siege.  To  the  uninitiated  of  every  clime  and  nation,  I 
believe  there  is,  on  the  first  firing  of  shot  and  shells,  an  in- 
voluntary desire  to  dodge  and  duck,  as  the  shot  approaches. 


VOYAGE  IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  223 

It  no  doubt  proceeds  from  the  sense  of  fear  implanted  in  every 
human  bosom,  and  is  overcome  only  by  a  feeling  of  duty  or 
pride,  in  the  man  of  education  and  refmcmcnt ;  while  in  the_ 
masses  of  soldiers  and  sailors,  it  is  nothing  but  habit  and  sto- 
ical indifference  to  life  or  death.  I  was  told  that,  at  tlie  com- 
mencement of  the  siege,  it  was  difficult  to  keep  the  men  at 
their  places  to  receive  the  fire  of  the  enemy ;  and  now,  after 
the  firing  had  continued  for  the  last  ten  montlis,  the  sense  of 
fear  appeared  to  be  entirely  banished  from  the  camp,  by  the 
daily  habit  of  exposure.  Even  the  women  appeared  to  disre- 
gard the  danger  of  a  shell  or  cannon-ball. 

The  following  conversation  occurred  between  a  good-look- 
ing young  woman,  whom  1  saw  sitting  at  the  door  of  her 
house,  and  myself.  She  was  apparently  unmoved  at  the  dan- 
ger, for  at  any  moment  a  shower  of  shot  or  shells  might  have 
been  hurled  about  her  head.  "  Good  woman,"  said  I,  "  are 
you  not  afraid  to  sit  thus  exposed  to  the  shot  from  the  forts, 
when  your  house  has  already  been  so  often  hit  by  cannon 
balls,  and  you  are  liable  to  be  killed  at  any  moment?"  Her 
answer  was,  '•  No,  Senor,  I  am  not  at  all  afraid,  thougli  I  unist 
confess  I  was  very  much  alarmed  for  the  first  week  or  two  ; 
but  now  I  have  become  quite  accustomed  to  the  firing."  I 
could  not  but  reflect,  that  from  habit,  this  woman  felt  less  fear 
than  many  an  epauletted  general  unaccustomed  to  war  and 
the  impartiality  of  a  cannon  ball,  which  is  just  as  likely  to  liit 
the  captain  as  a  private  soldier.  In  truth  ihc  profession  of 
arms,  and  the  constant  habit  of  exposure,  render  men  almost 
entirely  devoid  of  the  fear  of  shot,  and  thus  it  follows  that  one 
thousand  such  men  will  accomplish  more  than  ten  thousand 
new  recruits  who  have  never  stood  fire. 


While  in  Lima,  about  this  period,  I  witnessed  the  execu- 
tion of  two  distinguish.Ml  individuals  for  high  treason  com- 
mitted against  the  State  and  Government  of  Peru.  Onv.  o(  the 
two  was  Seiior  Berin-Doago.  a  celebrated  lawyer,  who  had 
been  Secretary  of  State  under  the  patriot  govermnent,  and  a 


224:  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

leader  in  the  revolution  against  the  Spaniards.  Under  his 
administration  a  law  was  passed  (I  was  told  at  his  suggestion), 
that  any  person  found  guilty  of  treason,  should  sutler  capital 
punishment,  and  that  his  body  should  be  publicly  exposed  as 
a  degraded  spectacle,  for  several  hours  after  death  ;  and 
strange  to  relate,  he  was  the  first  person  to  suffer  the  penalty 
of  this  law. 

He  was  a  good-looking  man,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in 
height,  and  from  his  appearance  I  should  judge,  was  about 
forty  or  forty- five  years  old. 

I  do  not  recollect  the  name  of  the  other  person  ;  he  was  a 
tall,  good-looking  man,  about  sixty  or  sixty-five  years  of  age, 
straight  in  stature,  with  hair  almost  entirely  gray,  and  when 
standing  erect  had  a  venerable,  and  I  may  add,  an  imposing 
appearance.  These  men  had  wives  and  children  living  in 
Lima,  and  previous  to  this  act  of  treachery  and  treason,  were 
highly  respected  and  esteemed  by  their  friends  and  fellow- 
countrymen. 

Their  families  resided  within  the  sound  of  the  muskets 
which  were  the  instruments  of  their  disgraceful  death. 
To  render  the  sad  catastrophe  more  distressing,  the  wife  of 
Berin-Doago,  was  at  this  time  enceinte. 

The  history  of  their  treason  as  related  to  me,  at  the  time 
of  their  trial  and  conviction,  was  in  substance,  as  follows  : — 

While  the  Spanish  army,  under  the  command  of  General 
Cantarac,  was  encamped  in  the  interior  of  Peru,  Berin-Doago, 
with  several  others,  were  in  communication  with  Cantarac 
and  Ills  principal  officers,  and  secretly  concerted  a  plot  to  de- 
liver up  the  city  of  Lima,  and  consequently  the  whole  of 
Peru,  into  the  hands  of  the  old  Spaniards.  In  order  to  perfect 
their  plan,  the  ci-devant  Secretary  of  State  employed  this  ven- 
erable gentleman  to  visit  and  communicate  with  General  C. 
in  person  ;  and  in  order  to  carry  out  their  scheme  and  avoid 
suspicion,  the  old  gentleman  assumed  the  character  of  father 
confessor,  and  adopted  the  costume  of  a  friar.  In  this  disguise 
he  made  frequent  visits  from  Lima  to  the  army  in  the  interior, 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  225 

and  from  time  to  time  advised  the  Spaniards  of  the  exact 
strength  and  position  of  the  patriot  force  in  Lima. 

Tills  intercourse  was  carried  on  for  a  considerable  time, 
until  at  length  their  wicked  plot  to  betray  their  country  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy  partially  leaked  out,  and  Berin-Doago 
made  his  escape  from  Lima  and  took  refuge  in  the  castle  at 
Callao,  and  there  placed  himself  under  the  protection  of  Gen- 
eral Rodil.  The  old  man,  his  friend  and  associate  in  the 
plot,  continued  to  reside  quietly  in  Lima  unsuspected. 

Some  months  after,  while  Rodil  was  closely  besieged  in 
the  castles  of  Callao,  both  by  sea  and  land,  Berin-Doago  con- 
trived, in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  to  escape  from  the  castle 
and  seek  protection  on  board  of  the  frigate  Preuba,  the  flag 
ship  of  the  blockading  squadron.  The  first  lieutenant  of  this 
ship  was  Mr.  Coe,  an  American;  and  at  the  time  officer  of 
he  deck.  Mr.  C.  told  me  that  Barin-Doago  came  on  board 
the  Preuba  on  a  very  dark  night  in  a  small  boat,  and  claimed 
the  protection  of  the  captain  of  the  frigate.  He  said  the  ex- 
secretary  appeared  to  have  no  fears  with  respect  to  his  situa- 
tion, and  evidently  expected  to  be  set  at  liberty  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  be  allowed  to  proceed  to  Lima  unmolested. 

In  this  opinion,  however,  he  was  disappointed,  for  the  next 
day  he  was  sent  a  prisoner  to  Lima,  and  in  a  few  weeks  after 
was  tried  by  a  military  court  martial  and  condemned  to  death. 
Berin-Doago,  being  a  lawyer,  was  so  confident  of  his  acquittal, 
that  he  employed  no  counsel,  but  defended  and  plead  liis  own 
cause.  In  the  course  of  the  trial  he  implicated  the  old  man, 
who  was  convicted  as  an  accomplice  in  the  treason,  and  thus 
they  were  condemned  to  be  shot  together  on  the  grand  plaza, 
or  public  square,  and  their  bodies,  after  death,  to  be  hung  for 
several  hours  on  a  gallows  subject  to  the  gaze  of  the  public, 
as  objects  of  utter  degradation. 

After  their  condemnation  the  family  and  friends  of  the  de- 
linquents made  every  exertion  in  their  power  to  get  them  re- 
prieved, and  as  a  last  resort,  appealed  to  General  Bolivar  to 
interfere  in  their  behalf,  and  save  them  from  an  ignominious 
15 


226  VOYAGE   liSr  the   ship   GOVEEXOR   CLINTON". 

death.  This  he  refused  to  do ;  he  said  they  had  had  a  fair 
trial  by  their  own  countrymen,  and  were  found  guilty  of  death, 
that  a  sahitary  example  was  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
safety  of  the  state  ;  and  that  the  law  ought,  and  should  be  en- 
forced. He  referred  to  the  case  of  the  British  Major  Andre, 
who  was  condemned  as  a  spy  in  the  American  Revolution, 
and  said  General  Washington  would  not  pardon  him ;  and 
concluded  by  repeating  that  they  ought  to  suffer  death. 

Accordingly,  on  the  day  appointed,  several  regiments  of  in- 
fantry were  drawn  up  on  the  public  square,  where  a  gallows 
was  erected,  and  these  doomed  men  were  taken  from  prison 
to  a  neighboring  church  to  attend  mass,  and  from  thence  tliey 
were  escorted  by  a  strong  guard  under  arms,  to  the  public 
square  to  be  executed.  The  spectacle  was  exciting  and  highly 
imposing.  With  muffled  drums  and  solemn  music,  they 
marched  slowly  towards  the  fatal  spot  in  front  of  the  cathe- 
dral, only  a  few  yards  from  it,  so  that  the  balls  from  the 
muskets  should  pass  to  the  walls  of  the  church,  and  harm  no 
other  person  than  those  for  whom  they  were  intended.  The 
two  prisoners  were  each  attended  by  a  priest  bearing  a  silver 
image  of  the  Saviour  on  the  cross,  and  every  now  and  then  a 
halt  was  made,  when  the  priest  presented  the  crucifix  to  them 
to  kiss,  and  after  a  short  prayer  their  march  was  resumed. 
There  was  every  appearance  of  deep  and  sincere  repentance 
on  the  part  of  the  prisoners,  and  a  devout  and  solemn  feeling 
visible  on  the  countenance  of  each  of  their  clerical  attendants- 
In  this  way  they  moved  slowly  on,  stopping  at  short  intervals 
to  repeat  prayers  and  devoutly  salute  the  crucifix.  When 
near  the  centre  of  the  plaza,  the  troops  opened  to  the  right  and 
left  to  make  room  for  these  unfortunate  men  to  pass  to  the 
seats  placed  for  their  reception.  They  were  soon  seated  in 
high-backed  chairs  placed  a  few  yards  asunder,  when  a  ne- 
gro tied  a  napkin  over  their  eyes  and  round  the  chair ;  he  also 
tied  another  round  their  waists  to  secure  their  bodies  just  above 
the  seat.  I  stood  with  a  friend  on  the  steps  of  the  cathedral) 
only  a  few  yards  from  the  prisoners,  and  distinctly  saw  every 
movement  that  was  made. 


1 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  227 

Every  thing  being  arranged,  twelve  soldiers  with  loaded 
muskets  were  detailed  to  perform  the  execution.  Six  of  them 
were  placed  directly  in  front  of  each  of  the  prisoners,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  or  twelve  feet.  An  officer  directed  them  how  and 
when  to  fue  ;  he  or(iered  three  of  the  six  to  aim  at  the  breast, 
and  the  other  three  at  the  forehead.  At  the  word  given  to  fire, 
the  twelve  muskets  were  simultaneously  discharged.  The 
bandage  round  the  head  of  Berin-Doago  was  shot  in  two,  and 
his  body  instantly  writhed  and  bent  forward,  and  was  partly 
suspended  by  the  napkin  around  his  waist  attached  to  the 
chair,  and  thns  in  an  instant  death  ensued.  The  old  man  re- 
mained bolt  upright,  without  the  least  convulsion  or  sign  of 
life.  He  was  without  doubt  quite  dead,  but  owing  to  the  up- 
right and  motionless  position  of  his  body,  the  officer  who  di- 
rected the  execution,  appeared  uncertain  whether  he  was  dead 
or  alive  ;  and  therefore  ordered  two  other  soldiers  to  discharge 
their  muskets  into  his  breast ;  this  order  was  instantly  obeyed. 
In  a  few  moments  after,  their  bodies  were  put  into  largo  gray 
sacks  and  suspended  on  the  gallows  for  several  hours.  The 
remains  were  afterwards  given  to  their  friends  for  interment. 
I  would  here  remark  that  these  men  both  bore  their  fate  with 
fortitude  and  composure,  particularly  the  old  gentleman ;  he 
died  like  a  hero.  He  was  perfectly  composed  and  firm,  and 
appeared  altogether  self-possessed,  and  as  far  as  I  could>judge 
seemed  to  have  no  fear  of  death.  It  was  not  quite  so  with 
Berin-Doago,  although  as  I  have  before  said,  he  bore  his  fate 
with  becoming  fortitude.  I  thought  he  appeared  to  struggle 
hard  to  sustain  himself,  and  in  haste  to  be  seated,  for  fear  his 
courage  should  fail  him  at  the  trying  moment. 

From  the  time  the  prisoners  left  the  church  under  a  mili- 
tary escort,  to  the  ternnnalion  of  the  execution,  the  most  per- 
fect order  and  silence  prevailed.  Not  a  sound  was  heard,  save 
the  solemn  dirge  of  martial  music,  and  the  voice  of  the  officer 
who  directed  the  execution,  and  even  after  their  bodies  were 
hung  up  on  the  gallows,  no  noise  was  heard.  The  scene  was 
silent  and  solemn.     It  was  the  first  military  execution  i  ever 


228  VOYAGPJ   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

saw,  and  I  hope  and  trust  it  will  be  the  last.  One  circum- 
stance struck  me  with  peculiar  force,  that  was  the  small 
number  of  spectators  present  on  the  occasion.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  militar}'",  there  were  but  very  few  individuals 
present,  and  to  the  honor  of  the  fair  sex  I  saw  not  a  single 
female  on  the  plaza. 

It  was  now  about  two  months  since  I  arrived  at  Chorillos, 
and  had  already  disposed  of  a  considerable  portion  of  my  car- 
go, still  I  had  many  articles  of  merchandise  that  were  unsale- 
able, and  as  the  ship  Ann  Maria,  Captain  Henry  Griswold, 
was  about  sailing  for  Valparaiso,  and  the  intermediate  ports 
between  Lima  and  that  place,  I  determined  to  send  by  this 
ship  an  invoice  of  such  goods  as  were  adapted  to  that  market, 

and  send  Mr. ,  my  assistant  supercargo,  to  take  charge  of 

this  shipment.  As  the  Governor  Clinton  and  the  Ann  Maria 
both  belonged  to  N.  L.  &  G.  Griswold,  1  considered  it  my  duty 
to  unite  with  Captain  H.,  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  our  em- 
ployers, and  here  follows  the  substance  of  my  letter  of  instruc- 
tions to  Mr. on  the  subject, 

Mr.  , 


Dear  Sir  : — I  have  this  day  shipped  on  board  the  Ann 
Maria,  Captain  Griswold,  an  invoice  of  Calcutta  goods,  rice, 
loaf-sugar,  and  some  other  articles,  the  whole  amounting  to 
the  round  sum  of  $5,500  ;  you  will  accordingly  proceed  in 
said  ship  with  Captain  G.  to  Valparaiso,  and  there  dispose  of 
the  above  invoice  to  the  best  advantage,  for  the  benefit  of  our 
employers.  Captain  Griswold  will  doubtless  assist  you  with 
his  advice  and  kind  offices. 

Please  write  me  by  every  oppoitunity.  Wishing  you  health 
and  prosperity, 

I  remain,  your  friend 

and  obed't  serv't, 

G.  C. 
Lima,  Oct.  29th,  1825. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  229 

Mr. left  Chorillos  with  Captain  Griswold,  in  the  ship 

Ann  Maria,  on  the  4th  of  Nov.,  1825,  hound  for  Valparaiso 
and  the  intermediate  ports. 

Extract  of  a  letter  to  my  owners,  written  from  Lima,  on 
the  8th  of  Nov.,  1825. 

Gentlejmen  : — As  Captain  Copeland,  late  of  the  General 
Brown,  is  about  returning  to  New- York  by  the  Avay  of  Pana- 
ma, I  improve  this  opportunity  of  writing  to  you  llie  substance 
of  my  transactions  since  I  last  wrote.  I  dispatched  the  Bra- 
zilian for  Guayaquil,  on  the  24th  of  September,  with  the  Hour 
sold  to  Messrs.  Robinet  &  Wheelright,  and  also  shipped  by 
this  vessel  sundry  articles  of  my  cargo  that  I  could  not  sell  to 
advantage  in  this  place.  I  have  requested  Capt,  Hatch  to  dis- 
pose of  what  articles  he  could  at  a  profit,  and  take  what 
freight  he  could  obtain  without  waiting  over  one  week,  and 
then  return  direct  to  Lima. 

The  Ann  Maria,  Captain  Griswold,  will  leave  here  in  a  few 
days,  for  Valparaiso,  and  the  intermediate  ports  in  Peru  and 
Chili. 

I  have  now  disposed  of  nearly  all  that  part  of  my  cargo 
that  was  saleable,  and  hav^e  sent  the  ship  to  the  Island  of  San 
Lorenzo,  for  stone-ballast.  I  am  collecting  as  fast  as  I  am 
able  what  is  due  me  in  this  place,  and  thus  preparing  to  leave 
it  as  soon  as  possible.  My  funds  up  to  this  date  are  about  as 
follows,  viz.,  deposited  on  board  the  U.  S.  frigate  United  States, 
Commodore  Hull,  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  also  in  the 
British  sloop-of-war  Mersey,  eight  thousand,  and  have  on  hand 
fifteen  thousand  dollars,  in  doubloons,  making  a  sum  total  of 
forty-three  thousand. 

I  have  thus  given  you  a  hasty  sketch,  or  general  outline  of 
my  business  up  to  this  period,  of  course,  I  have  not  time  to 
enter  into  particulars.  If  I  am  not  detained  collecting  my 
funds,  I  shall  probably  be  able  to  leave  Lima  in  about  a  week 
from  this  date. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

G.  C. 


230  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

Captain  Hepburn  returned  to  Chorillos  with  the  Governor 
CHnton,  on  the  25th  of  November,  after  having  ballasted  the 
ship,  and  we  soon  got  ready  for  sea.  I  had  now  sold  at  this 
port,  including  the  goods  sold  in  Guayaquil,  to  the  amount  of 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  and  had  still  remaining  a  large 
inv^oice  of  English  and  German  goods,  which  were  not  saleable 
here ;  I  therefore  considered  it  safer  to  proceed  up  to  wind- 
ward, namely  to  Arica  and  Valparaiso,  than  to  run  to  the  lee- 
ward, and  trade  in  the  northern  parts  of  Peru.  We  accord- 
ingly sailed  on  the  2Sth  of  November,  bound  for  Arica  and 
Valparaiso. 

We  stood  off  shore  to  the  southward  and  westward  with  a 
moderate  breeze  from  the  S.  E.  and  E.  S.  E.,  and  very  pleasant 
weather.  I  employed  myself  for  about  a  week  arranging  all 
my  accounts,  and  drawing  samples  from  the  cargo,  so  that  on 
my  arrival  at  Arica,  I  should  be  ready  to  dispose  of  my  goods 
at  a  moment's  warning. 

We  continued  to  stand  oif  shore  on  the  same  tack  for  ten 
days,  generally  laying  up  S.  and  S.  S.  W.,  with  pleasant 
breezes  at  E.  S.  E.  and  S.  E.,  with  remarkably  fine  weather- 
On  the  8th  of  December,  when  in  latitude  25^^  30'  south,  longi- 
tude 86°  W.,  we  tacked  ship  and  stood  to  the  eastward  for  our 
port  of  destination.  We  judged  it  better  thus  to  stand  wide  off 
shore,  than  to  hazard  beating  up  along  the  land,  where  light 
baffling  winds  and  calms  generally  prevail.  It  is  rather  re- 
markable that  during  this  passage  we  did  not  see  a  single  sail 
of  any  description,  until  we  got  into  the  neighborhood  of 
Arica. 

On  Saturday,  December  17th,  we  made  the  high  moun- 
tains in  the  interior  of  Peru,  some  sixty  or  seventy  miles  dis- 
tant. The  next  day,  Sunday  the  18th,  the  wind  being  light,  we 
caught  fifteen  dolphin,  a  large  albicore,  and  a  turtle  weighing 
about  twenty  pounds.  These  fish  were  very  palatable  to  us, 
having  had  nothing  but  salt  provisions  since  leaving  Chorillos. 
In  tjie  afternoon  of  this  day  we  approached  within  five 
leagues  of  the  land,  and  then  ran  down  along  shore  to  the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP  GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  231 

northward  towards  our  port,  being  now  about  fifty  or  sixty- 
miles  to  tho  southward  of  Arica.  We  found  the  coast  high 
and  rocky,  and  it  had  aUogether  a  barren  and  dreary  appear- 
ance. We  continued  to  run  down  along  shore  to  the  north- 
ward until  the  next  day,  Monday,  December  10th,  when  wo 
came  to  anchor  in  the  bay  of  Arica,  twenty-one  days  from 
Chorillos,  which,  I  believe,  is  about  a  fair  medium  passage. 
We  had  fine  weather  during  the  whole  time,  and  I  generally 
found  occupation  in  arranging  my  accounts,  taking  lunar  ob- 
servations with  Captain  Hepburn,  to  fill  up  the  leisure  hours, 
so  that  the  time  passed  ofi""  agreeably,  though  without  much 
incident. 

Arica  is  a  small,  poorly  built  town,  of  some  five  or  six 
thousand  inhabitants,  lying  along  a  bay  of  the  same  name,  in 
latitude  18°  29'  south,  longitude  70°  19'  west.  It  belongs  to 
Bolivia,  and  lies  about  210  miles  northwest  of  the  city  of 
Potosi,  and  although  not  a  good  harbor,  is  still  the  principal 
and  best  port  along  the  coast  of  Upper  Peru.  This  place,  like 
most  others  in  this  country,  is  very  subject  to  earthquakes,  and 
was,  in  the  year  1605,  almost  totally  destroyed  by  one  of  these 
terrible  convulsions  of  nature.  Although  this  port  affords  very 
good  shelter  for  shipping  in  this  mild  and  peaceful  climate, 
still  at  times  the  surf  is  so  high  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  land 
in  our  own  boats.  The  Indians  and  natives  here,  employ 
balsas  instead  of  boats.  These  arc  two  inflated  skins  of  large 
seal,  commonly  called  the  sea-lion.  They  lay  them  parallel 
with  each  other,  place  and  secure  boards  across  them,  and  in 
this  manner  they  form  light  and  convenient  floats,  which  the 
natives  manage  with  great  dexterity,  and  thus  transport  pas- 
sengers and  goods  with  perfect  safety.  We  found  lying  here 
some  eight  or  ten  brigs  and  schooners  and  several  small  coast- 
ing vessels.  I  think  there  were  three  English  brigs,  one 
American  brig,  one  ship,  and  one  or  two  Chilian  vessels,  and 
about  half  a  dozen  small  craft,  belonging  to  this  port.  Two 
or  three  of  them  were  employed  in  the  coasting  trade,  the 
residue  in  bringing  guano  from  the  small  islands  lying  along 
the  adjacent  coast. 


232  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  GOVERNOE  CLINTON. 

On  my  arrival  at  this  place,  I  employed  Messrs.  McFadon 
&■  Cobb  to  assist  me  in  disposing  of  my  goods,  and  in  the 
general  management  of  my  ship  and  cargo.  These  gentlemen 
were  Americans,  belonging  to  Baltimore,  and  were  established 
at  this  place  and  at  Tacua  as  a  general  commission  house. 
They  were  both  of  them  good  merchants,  and  I  am  pleased  to 
add,  they  were  also  honest,  hospitable  gentlemen,  and  a 
fair  specimen  of  the  open-hearted,  generous  Baltimorean  char- 
acter— ever  ready  to  communicate  and  confer  kind  offices  on 
their  fellow  men. 

After  remaining  here  one  day,  I  started  on  horseback  very 
early  in  the  morning,  with  three  other  gentlemen,  for  Tacua. 
Our  company  consisted  of  two  Peruvian  military  officers,  one 
English  merchant,  and  myself.  We  provided  ourselves  with 
provisions  and  water  for  a  journey  of  thirteen  leagues,  over  a 
sandy  desert,  where  there  is  not  a  human  habitation  to  be 
seen,  or  a  drop  of  fresh  water  to  be  obtained,  nor  a  spear  of 
green  grass  for  the  eye  to  light  upon — nothing  but  a  dreary, 
solitary,  widespread,  sandy  desert.  It  had  every  appearance 
of  having  been,  at  no  verj''  distant  period,  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  ;  and  in  confirmation  of  this  opinion,  it  is  only  necessary 
to  dig  into  this  barren  waste  a  few  feet,  to  find  immense  quan- 
tities of  salt  of  a  reddish  color  ;  in  fine,  there  appears  to  be  a 
sufficient  quantity  to  supply  the  whole  world.  Many  small 
craft  are  employed  transporting  this  salt  from  place  to  place 
along  the  coast,  from  thence  it  is  taken  to  the  towns  and  cities 
in  the  interior.  The  natives  of  this  country  cut  it  into  small 
blocks,  and  when  thus  prepared,  it  somewhat  resembles  brick- 
bats. 

On  our  route,  we  overtook  great  numbers  of  men  with 
mules  and  donkeys,  laden  with  various  articles  of  merchan- 
dise, going  into  the  interior.  We  also  saw  great  numbers  of 
asses  laden  with  guano,  on  their  way  to  Tacua ;  the  men 
were  whipping  and  urging  them  along  as  fast  as  possible,  so 
thac  neither  themselves  nor  their  animals  should  die  of  thirst. 
While  passing  over  this  dreary  desert,  we  were  continually  im- 


VOYAGE  IN   THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  233 

portuned  for  water ;  and  though  we  had  not  much  to  spare, 
we  gave  them  nearly  all  we  had.  As  we  were  well  mounted, 
we  felt  that  we  should  reach  our  journey's  end  before  night, 
and  could  not,  therefore,  deny  these  poor  creatures  a  draught 
of  water,  so  long  as  it  was  in  our  power  to  relieve  them. 
During  the  day  we  saw,  on  the  road-side,  quite  a  number  of 
dead  mules  and  asses,  that  had  perished  for  the  want  of  it. 

The  weather  was  excessively  hot,  and  the  reflection  of 
the  sun  from  the  heated  sand  was  almost  enough  to  blind  one. 
The  military  gentlemen,  my  companions,  had  furnished  them- 
selves with  green  gauze  veils  to  protect  their  eyes.  I  being  a 
novice  in  desert  travelling,  had  not  provided  myself  with  one, 
and  therefore  suffered  severely  with  the  heat  and  dust.  My 
fellow-travellers  were  polite,  agreeable  men,  and  related  many 
pleasant  incidents  of  their  journeys  in  this  country,  to  amuse 
us  on  the  road.  They  were  excellent  horsemen,  and  appeared 
to  ride  without  the  least  inconvenience,  while  I  could  with  dif- 
ficulty urge  my  horse  to  keep  up  with  theirs,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  day's  ride  I  was  excessively  fatigued. 

After  this  dreary  journey,  we  arrived  at  Tacua  at  twilight. 
This  little  town  contains,  perhaps,  1500  or  2000  inhabitants. 
It  is  located  on  the  bank  of  a  small  river  (the  name  of  which  I 
do  not  recollect),  at  the  foot  of  the  lofty  Cordilleras,  about  ten 
leagues  east  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  this  singular  country, 
a  man  may  choose  his  own  climate  :  by  going  a  few  miles 
among  the  mountains,  the  weather  becomes  cold  and  bracing, 
while  in  the  valley,  and  near  this  place,  the  temperature  is 
generally  very  warm  during  the  day,  but  gradually  cools  at 
night,  when  the  cold  air  rushes  down  from  the  mountains. 

The  whole  of  this  region  appears  to  be  badly  watered,  and 
therefore  can  never  be  a  populous  country.  The  little  river  or 
stream  that  runs  down  the  sandy  valley  at  Tacua,  takes  its 
rise  in  the  mountains,  and  appears  in  the  morning  like  melted 
snow  and  ice-water.  I  found  it  quite  too  cold  for  l)athing 
until  about  noon  ;  after  the  effect  of  a  hot  sun,  it  was  rendered 
sufficiently  warm  and  pleasant. 


234-  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

The  land  in  this  region  is  generally  sandy  and  barren,  but 
with  the  help  of  the  guano,  and  much  fresh  water,  a  good  pro- 
ductive soil  is  soon  made  from  a  sandy  desert.  I  can  truly 
say,  I  never  knew  the  full  value  of  fresh  water  until  I  came  to 
this  country.  I  observed,  that  wherever  there  was  a  running 
stream,  there  were  found  inhabitants  ;  and  during  my  stay  at 
Arica,  I  was  told  that,  in  many  of  the  mining  villages  to  the 
southward  of  that  place,  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  often  to 
go  two  or  three  leagues  to  obtain  it.  At  Tacua,  they  husband 
the  water  with  the  greatest  possible  care.  On  certain  days  of 
the  week  the  river  was  diverted  from  its  course,  and  made  to 
run  through  the  fields  and  gardens  to  irrigate  the  land ;  con- 
sequently, the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  lay  in  sufficient 
water  to  last  them  during  the  absence  of  the  river. 

While  in  this  town,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  God  towards  the  children  of  men.  In  and 
about  this  place,  where  the  soil  is  sandy  and  barren — along  the 
coast,  and  on  the  neighboring  islands — there  is  an  abundance 
of  guano  to  manure  the  land  ;  consequently  its  transportation 
furnishes  employment  for  a  great  number  of  people,  where  the 
land  would  produce  nothing  without  it, 

I  met  with  a  warm  and  friendly  reception  from  one  of  the 
partners  of  the  house  of  McFadon  &.  Cobb,  and  after  a  day's 
rest,  commenced  disposing  of  my  goods — the  samples  of  which 
had  been  sent  up  from  Arica  the  day  previous.  I  found  here 
several  merchants  from  the  cities  in  the  interior,  namely,  La 
Paz,  Potosi,  and  other  towns  of  less  note.  In  a  few  days  we 
sold  goods  4o  a  considerable  amount,  and  generally  at  good 
prices. 

I  found  the  people  simple  in  their  manners  and  habits, 
kind,  honest,  and  hospitable,  and  remarkably  fond  of  and  at- 
tentive to  strangers.  The  revolutionary  war  with  Spain,  their 
mother  country,  and  the  civil  wars  that  had  so  long  demoral- 
ized and  debased  several  other  parts  of  Peru,  seemed  not  to 
have  reached  this  little  sequestered  village,  at  the  foot  of  tliese 
stupendous   mountains.     Perhaps  their  poverty  proved   their 


VOYAGE    IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  235 

best  protection — not  being  an  object  for  military  ambition  or 
party  spirit  to  batten  npon. 

I  was  amnsed  to  see  the  people  of  this  town  in  their  holi- 
day dresses,  on  Snndays  and  "  dias  de  fiesta,^''  meet  together 
to  enjoy  each  other's  society,  and  eat  figs  and  other  fruits  that 
are  here  cultivated  in  abundance.  Their  unsophisticated, 
joyous  feelings  of  sympathy  and  affection  enlivened  the  scene, 
and  soon  led  to  the  merry  and  amusing  fandango.  Their 
simplicity  and  open-heartedness  made  me  feel  quite  at  my 
ease  with  the  whole  of  this  little  interesting  community. 
With  or  without  an  invitation,  I  went  into  their  houses,  and 
was  always  kindly  received,  and,  to  the  best  of  their  abilities, 
hospitably  entertained.  Since  I  have  been  travelling  about 
the  world,  I  have  never  met  with  a  more  honest-hearted,  social 
pftople.  They  appeared  to  me  unknown  and  uncontaminated 
by  what  is  called  the  civilized  world,  and  brought  to  my  mind 
the  trite  proverb,  that  "If  ignorance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be 
wise." 

After  having  remained  at  Tacua  about  ten  days,  I  again 
returned  to  Arica.  I  left  the  former  place  with  regret,  and 
shall  never  forget  the  happy  days  I  spent  with  its  kind  and 
hospitable  inhabitants.  I  found  Arica  a  more  bustling,  busy 
place.  Its  inhabitants  were  composed  of  different  races  of 
men,  but  to  me  not  so  primitive  and  agreeable  as  Tacua.  The 
commercial  part  of  this  conmiunity  was  made  up  of  English, 
French,  Germans,  and  Americans ;  and  the  masses,  a  mixed 
breed,  originally  Spanish  and  native  Indians,  and  from  having 
been  occasionally  crossed  by  strangers  from  different  countries, 
they  are  now  a  motley  race,  developing  all  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow,  and  have  very  little  national  character. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  this  town,  there  is  a  pond  of  stag- 
nant fresh  water,  which  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  engen- 
ders the  fever  and  ague.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this 
little  lake  was  growing  the  Jesuit  or  Peruvian  bark  tree,  and 
when  the  inhabitants  were  seized  with  the  above-named 
disease,  they  forthwith  stripped  a  small  quantity  of  bark  from 


236  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

these  trees,  and  after  it  was  pounded,  made  a  strong  decoction. 
A  few  doses  uniformly  restored  them  to  heaUh.  And  thus  it 
may  be  truly  and  literally  said,  here  are  the  bane  and  the  anti- 
dote placed  side  by  side. 

I  continued  to  dispose  of  what  goods  I  could  sell  to  advan- 
tage, and  after  having  decided  to  proceed  from  this  place  to 
Chili,  I  took  what  freight  I  could  hastily  obtain  and  got  ready 
for  sea ;  it  was  only  about  $14,000  in  specie,  belonging  to 
British  merchants,  and  consigned  to  their  friends  in  Valparaiso. 
I  also  took  on  board  a  few  passengers,  the  most  distinguished 
of  whom  was  an  Englishman,  by  the  name  of  Andrews,  who 
had  been  for  many  years  captain  of  a  large  ship  in  the  service 
of  the  East  India  Company  between  London  and  China.  He 
was  an  intelligent,  gentlemanly  man,  and  was  at  this  time  em- 
ployed by  a  company  in  England  to  purchase  mines  in  Upper 
Peru.  He  landed  at  Buenos  Ayres  from  London  with  a  young 
Spanish  gentleman,  his  secretary  and  interpreter,  and  proceeded 
thence  across  the  Andes  to  Tacua  and  Arica,  and  after  having 
purchased  a  number  of  valuable  mines,  as  I  understood,  had 
successfully  accomplished  his  mission  ;  he  then  took  passage 
with  us  to  Valparaiso,  and  from  thence  subsequently  returned 
home  to  England  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn.  While  I  am  on 
this  subject  I  will  here  remark,  that  I  found  Captain  Andrews 
to  be  an  accomplished  gentleman,  an  agreeable  companion, 
and  a  most  worthy  man.  The  name  of  his  secretary  I  do 
not  recollect,  but  he  was  also  a  well  educated,  agreeable 
young  man,  and  spoke  English  with  great  fluency,  he  having 
resided  several  years  in  England.  And  after  remaining  at 
Arica  eight  days,  we  sailed  on  the  6th  of  January  for  Valpa- 
raiso. 

During  the  first  two  or  three  days  we  had  very  light  airs 
from  the  southward,  when  the  wind  gradually  increased  and 
hauled  to  the  S.  E.  Wc  lay  up  generally  about  S.  S.  W.,  and 
continued  to  stand  off  shore,  always  on  the  same  tack,  with 
pleasant  breezes  from  the  S.  E.,  and  very  fine  weather.  We 
stood  to  the  westward  for  about  a  week,  when  we  were  favored 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  237 

with  a  fine  fresh  gale  tVoni  the  N.  W.,  and  soon  ran  into  the 
latitude  of  Valparaiso,  and  then  steered  to  the  eastward  for 
our  destined  port.  Thus,  afier  a  very  pleasant  passage  of  19 
days,  we  arrived  at  Valparaiso  on  the  25th  of  January,  182(). 

As  this  was  my  first  visit  to  this  port,  I  will  endeavor  to 
give  a  short  description  of  the  "  Vale  of  Paradise,"  as  (Ik.'  name 
Valparaiso  indicates  in  the  Spanish  language. 

It  is  the  principal  seaport  of  Chili,  and  lies  in  lat.  33°  12' 
S.,  long.  77°  31'  W.  of  London,  and  about  ninety  miles  dis- 
tant from  Santiago,  the  capital  of  this  Republic.  The  bay  is 
large,  and  free  from  rocks  and  shoals,  and  is  very  well  shel- 
tered except  from  the  northward.  In  the  winter  months,  say 
from  May  to  October,  it  is  dangerous  lying  there.  On  the 
whole,  I  consider  it  a  safe  harbor,  except  in  these  months,  at 
which  season  the  wind  sometimes  blows  very  strong,  and  ren- 
ders it  unsafe  to  lie  at  anchor.  In  fme,  it  is  customary  during 
this  season  to  remove  and  lay  up  ships-of-war  and  merchant  ves- 
sels in  the  neighboring  port  of  Coquimbo,  where  I  am  told  they 
are  safe  from  all  winds.  The  common  anchorage  here  for  mer- 
chant vessels  is  opposite  the  custom-house,  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  shore,  in  about  five  to  nine  fathoms  of  water.  Ships-of- 
war  anchor  farther  off,  in  twenty-five  or  thirty  fathoms.  The 
harbor  is  defended  by  a  castle,  and  two  smaller  forts,  at  the 
north  end  of  the  Almendral,  and  another  fort  farther  inland. 
There  are  no  wharves,  and  all  goods  are  landed  on  the  sand 
beach  either  from  ships'  boats  or  lighters,  and  taken  on  shore 
on  men's  shoulders.  When  the  wind  blows  strong,  and  the 
surf  high,  it  is  difticult  to  land  goods  at  the  custom-house, 
without  wetting  them. 

The  town  lies  along  the  bay,  in  a  circular  form,  perhaps 
for  a  distance  of  two  miles,  and,  I  should  judge,  contained 
about  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants.  There  is  a 
range  of  high  hills  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  town, 
which  leaves  but  little  room  for  any  regularity  of  streets,  or 
for  the  building  of  houses  ;  consequently,  it  is  very  irregular, 
and  the  streets  mostly  crooked  and  uneven.    There  are  two  con- 


238  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

siderable  churches,  and  several  of  less  note.  The  climate  is 
mild  and  healthful,  and  the  country  produces  all  the  necessa- 
ries of  life  in  great  abundance.  The  market  is  well  supplied 
with  meat,  poultry,  fish,  bread,  fruit,  and  vegetables,  and  at 
very  reasonable  prices. 

I  found  the  fruit  in  Valparaiso  excellent  and  cheap,  such 
as  grapes,  apples,  pears,  nuts,  melons,  etc.  In  short,  all  the 
necessaries  of  life  are  more  abundant,  and  are  cheaper  here 
than  in  any  other  port  I  have  visited  on  the  western  coast  of 
South  America.  Although  the  climate  of  this  place  is  delight- 
ful, and  there  are  so  many  things  to  render  it  a  desirable  resi- 
dence, still  it  is  not  without  its  drawbacks.  It  is  very  subject 
to  earthquakes,  and  there  are  no  theatres  or  places  of  public 
amusement.  A  person  who  has  enjoyed  the  variety  and  ex- 
citement of  a  large  European  city,  will  often  sigh  for  recrea- 
tions that  this  place  does  not  afford. 

On  my  arrival  at  this  port,  I  employed  the  commercial 
house  of  Messrs.  Huth,  Coit  &  Co.,  to  transact  my  business, 
and  soon  commenced  selling  my  goods  the  best  way  I  could, 
as  I  had  come  to  a  bad  market  for  the  most  of  the  articles  I 
had  brought  here. 

Mr. ,  my  assistant  supercargo,  had  disposed  of  the  in- 
voice of  goods  he  brought  to  this  port  in  the  ship  Ann  Maria, 
at  good  prices,  and  had  returned  to  Lima,  to  wait  my  return 
to  that  city,  to  join  the  Governor  Clinton. 

After  lying  here  about  a  fortnight,  I  succeeded  in  disposing 
of  the  greater  part  of  my  domestic  cotton  goods,  English 
calicoes,  etc.,  etc.,  at  pretty  fair  prices,  and  then  dispatched 
Captain  Hepburn  to  Arica,  in  the  brig  Bolivar,  Captain 
Myrick,  to  collect  my  funds  in  that  place  and  at  Tacua.  which 
being  accomplished,  I  rccjuested  him  to  join  me  at  Lima,  and 
take  charge  of  the  Governor  Clinton  again,  at  Callao. 

About  the  tenth  of  March,  Captain  Hepburn  sailed  as  a 
passenger  in  the  Bolivar,  for  Arica,  and  left  me  in  charge  of 
the  Governor  Clinton. 

Being  unable  to  obtain  a  freight  for  the  ship  to  Lima,  I  at 


VOYAGE   m  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  239 

length  made  an  arrangement  with  a  house  here  to  take  a 
cargo  or  part  of  a  cargo  of  wild  mules,  upon  the  following 
terms  :  The  owners  of  these  animals  agreed  to  furnish  me 
with  150  mules,  to  be  brought  to  the  beach  opposite  the  ship, 
and  to  provide  them  with  barley  and  grass  for  the  passage  to 
Lima,  with  three  or  four  peons  or  muleteers,  to  assist  in  taking 
care  of  them  on  the  passage,  free  of  expense.  On  my  part,  I 
agreed  to  furnish  ship-room  and  water,  and  on  our  arrival  at 
Callao,  the  owners  of  the  mules  were  to  give  me  the  half  of 
all  I  should  deliver  alive  at  that  port. 

After  the  contract  was  signed,  1  distributed  the  cargo  1  had 
left  at  each  end  of  the  ship — before  the  foremast  and  abaft  the 
mizzenmast ;  I  then  placed  the  water-casks  amidships,  and 
ballasted  with  shingles  ;  that  is  to  say,  with  small  stones  from 
off  the  sea-beach,  about  the  size  of  hens'  eggs.  I  then  sheathed 
with  rough  boards  the  upper  deck,  and  also  between  decks, 
placing  the  water-casks  amidships,  secured  with  stancheons, 
as  in  the  lower  hold.  Thus  prepared,  I  hauled  the  ship  close 
to  the  shore,  and  received  the  mules  and  horses  on  board, 
in  the  following  manner.  'We  had  prepared  eight  or  ten 
pairs  of  canvas  slings,  made  to  pass  around  the  body  of 
the  animals.  These  slings  were  arranged  with  iron  thimbles, 
to  hook  on  to  a  tackle,  to  hoist  them  on  board.  We  had  also 
two  floating-stages  made,  each  sufficiently  large  and  buoyant 
to  take  six  or  eight  mules  or  horses. 

When  every  thing  was  ready,  on  the  Gth  of  March,  the 
whole  drove  of  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  were  driven  to 
the  beach  opposite  the  ship,  according  to  agreement;  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  the  best  of  the  herd  were  to  be  selected. 
These  animals  being  closely  huddled  together,  the  muleteers 
commenced  throwing  their  lassos  round  the  necks  of  the  mules, 
and  when  thus  caught,  another  lasso  was  tluown  around  their 
legs  which  brought  them  all  together,  and  tripped  up  and  sub- 
dued the  mule  until  tlie  slings  could  be  fastened  around  him, 
when  he  was  forced  upon  the  float  or  stage.  In  this  manner, 
six  or  eight  were  soon  tied  and  secured,  and  were  then  haul- 


240  VOYAGE  I^^  the  ship  governor  clixtok. 

ed  by  a  line  to  the  ship,  when  the  seamen  hooked  on  a  tackle, 
hoisted  them  on  board  and  lowered  them  down  into  the  hold. 
So  that  with  these  two  stages,  the  whole  number  were  rapidly- 
embarked. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  with  what  adroitness  and  dexterity 
the  peons  could  handle  these  wild  mules  ;  in  fine  they  appeared 
to  break  in  and  manage  them  with  almost  the  same  facility 
that  a  farmer  would  handle  his  sheep  in  our  country. 

After  selecting  one  hundred  and  fifteen  of  the  best  of  these 
animals,  the  remainder  were  so  poor  and  small  that  I  refused 
to  take  them  on  board.  The  person  with  whom  I  agreed,  was 
to  furnish  me  with  large,  fine  mules,  and  as  he  did  not  comply 
with  the  contract,  I  considered  myself  fully  justified  in  not 
taking  on  board  indifferent  poor  animals,  not  worth  their  pas- 
sage to  Lima.  In  the  course  of  a  few  hours  we  got  on  board 
one  hundred  and  fifteen,  and  the  next  day,  March  7th,  I  re- 
ceived eighteen  horses  on  freight,  at  two  doubloons  each,  and 
then  hauled  off  to  our  former  anchorage  and  got  ready  for  sea. 
After  being  detained  two  days  by  light  winds  and  calm 
weather,  we  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  harbor  on  the  10th 
of  March,  bound  to  Callao,  in  company  with  a  French  mer- 
chant ship  bound  to  Lima;  and  the  American  brig  Bolivar. 
Captain  Myrick,  bound  to  Arica. 

At  2  P.  id.  the  port  of  Valparaiso  bore  S.  E.  by  compass, 
about  six  leagues  distant.  Moderate  breezes  at  S.  W.  and 
very  fine  weather.  The  next  day,  March  11th,  we  had  strong 
breezes  from  the  S.  W.,  and  considerable  sea  running.  All  the 
muleteers  sent  to  take  care  of  the  animals  were  sea-sick,  and 
not  able  to  come  on  deck.  Latitude  by  observation,  33^  26' 
south  ;  longitude  74°  6'  west. 

We  continued  to  have  fine  weather  and  fair  winds  from 
day  to  day,  and  were  enabled  to  carry  all  our  light  sails,  and 
generally  had  studding-sails  set  during  the  whole  passage.  I 
do  not  recollect  any  incident  worth  remarking,  and  have  only 
to  add,  that  being  before  the  wind  in  a  mild,  gentle  climate, 
the  nnilcs  and  horses  were  well  attended  to,  and  as  we  had  a 


1 


VOYAGE   IN  THE  SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  241 

large  supply  of  grass  and  barley,  and  water  in  abundance, 
they  rather  gained  than  lost  in  flesh. 

After  a  pleasant  passage  of  nine  days,  we  came  to  anchor 
at  Callao  on  the  lOtli  of  March,  without  having  lost  a  single 
horse  or  mule  during  the  passage. 

On  my  arrival  at  Lima,  I  employed  William  S.  Wetmore, 
Esq.,  to  assist  me  in  the  transaction  of  my  business,  and  in  a 
few  days  after  we  sold  to  the  agent  of  an  English  mining 
company  my  share  of  the  mules,  namely  fifty-seven  in  num- 
ber, at  $50  each,  and  after  collecting  the  freight  on  the  horses 
and  other  little  articles  brought  down  from  A^alparaiso  to  this 
place,  found  that  it  amounted  to  about  $3,500. 

We  soon  had  the  ship  cleaned  and  fresh  painted,  and  ready 
for  Captain  Hepburn  to  resume  his  command,  but  he  was  so 
long  detained  in  Arica,  that  I  was  finally  obliged  to  proceed 
down  the  coast  to  Guayaquil,  and  there  wait  his  arrival.  He 
was  detained  in  Arica  collecting  my  funds  much  longer  than 

I  had  anticipated.     I  found  here,  waiting  my  arrival,  Mr. , 

whom  I  was  very  happy  to  take  by  the  hand  again ;  he  was  a 
kind  friend,  and  at  all  times  very  useful  to  me. 

I  will  here  waive  the  subject  of  commercial  affairs  for  a 
time,  and  relate  what  I  heard  on  the  subject  of  the  capitula- 
tion of  the  castles  at  Callao  by  General  Rodil,  which  hap- 
pened on  the  22d  of  January,  1826,  after  a  close  siege  of 
eighteen  months'  duration.  Rodil  held  out  until  nearly  all  the 
civilians  and  a  large  portion  of  his  soldiers  were  starved  to 
death  :  his  provisions  spoiled  and  exhausted,  and  when  driven 
to  the  necessity  of  a  capitulation,  he  would  not  treat  with 
the  Peruvians,  except  through  the  medium  of  a  third  power. 
He  openly  avowed  he  had  no  confidence  in  the  word  or  honor 
of  his  enemy,  and  finally  agreed  upon  terms  of  capitulation 
with  the  commissioners  of  the  Peruvian  govenmient  on  the 
quarter-deck  of  the  English  frigate  Breton,  commanded  by  Sir 
Murray  Maxwell.  He  would  not  surrender  himself  and  his 
officers  into  the  hands  of  the  Peruvians,  and  thus  himself  and 
his  officers  went  directly  from  the  castles  to  the  frigate,  and,  I 
16 


242  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

believe,  were  taken  from  Callao  to  Valparaiso,  and  from  thence 
to  Spain  in  British  ships  of  war.  All  the  articles  of  the  capitu- 
lation, I  was  told,  were  guaranteed  by  Sir  Murray  Maxwell, 
the  belligerent  parties  having  no  confidence  in  'each  other. 

I  was  also  informed  by  an  eye-witness  who  visited  the  cas- 
tles and  town  of  Callao  the  day  after  the  surrender,  that  it  was 
an  appalling  sight  to  behold.  The  dead  and  the  dying  were 
lying  about,  and  large  numbers  of  the  former  were  found  un- 
buried  ;  and  for  fear  of  engendering  disease  they  were  obliged 
to  cleanse  the  town,  and  purify  the  air  by  burning  tar  and 
other  combustible  matter  for  several  days.  Notwithstanding  I 
did  not  arrive  at  Callao  until  nearly  two  months  after  the  sur- 
render of  the  town,  and  castles,  the  stench  from  the  land, 
when  the  wind  blew  from  that  quarter,  was  so  offensive,  that 
I  was  obliged  to  unmoor  our  ship  and  remove  farther  from  the  • 
shore. 

The  dead  were  thrown  into  large  vaults  and  pits  along  the 
shore,  and  were,  in  truth,  not  half  buried.  It  was  a  most  dis- 
gusting sight  to  witness  the  effects  of  savage  warfare,  for,  in 
truth,  it  deserves  no  better  name. 

These  revolting  scenes  prove  how  soon  men  become  har- 
dened and  brutalized  by  the  dreadful  scourge  of  war.  Men 
may  call  it  honorable  warfare,  and  talk  of  covering  themselves 
with  glory,  and  make  fine  speeches  in  its  praise,  still  I  fear,  in 
the  eye  of  God,  it  will  be  viewed  but  as  murder  on  a  great 
scale. 

I  continued  to  sell,  in  the  best  way  I  could,  all  the  articles 
of  merchandise  I  had  remaining  of  my  outward  cargo,  even  at 
very  low  prices  ;  the  market  at  this  time  being  overstocked 
with  almost  every  kind  of  manufactured  goods,  particularly 
German  linens  and  British  calicoes. 

I  also  continued  to  collect  all  my  specie  funds  and  deposit 
them  on  board  the  American  ships  of  war  lying  in  port,  namely 
the  U.  S.  frigate  "United  States,"  Captain  Hull,  and  the  sloop- 
of-war  "Peacock,"  Captain  Jones,  and  was  now  anxiously 
waiting  letters   from  mv  owners  from  home,  relative  to  the 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  243 

future  destination  of  the  Governor  Clinton,  whether  we  should 
proceed  with  the  ship  to  Manilla  and  Canton,  and  purchase  a 
cargo  of  India  goods  for  New- York,  or  remit  home  a  large  por- 
tion of  my  funds,  and  only  retain  sufficient  money  to  purchase 
a  cargo  of  cocoa  at  Guayaquil,  for  Europe  or  the  United 
States. 

Not  long  after  this  I  received  letters  from  my  employers, 
advising  that  the  prospect  of  proceeding  to  Canton  for  a  China 
cargo  was  not  good,  and  on  the  whole  they  appeared  to  think 
it  best  for  me  to  go  with  tlie  ship  to  Guayaquil  and  purchase  a 
cargo  of  cocoa  (for  their  account),  and  proceed  to  Gibraltar. 

At  this  time  there  had  been  a  great  many  failures  in 
Europe  and  the  United  States,  which  made  me  fearful  of  pur- 
chasing private  bills  of  exchange,  and  as  I  was  unable  to  pro- 
cure bills  on  the  United  States  government  for  any  considera- 
ble amount,  I  was  obliged  to  ship  specie  dollars.  I  accordingly 
agreed  on  the  24th  of  April  to  ship  on  board  the  ship  "  Georgia 
Packet,"  of  Philadelphia,  Captain  Charles  Erwin,  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  at  a  freight  of  1^  per  cent.,  to  be  delivered  at 
Philadelphia  ;  and  in  order  to  facilitate  this  shipment,  Captain 
Jones  consented  to  go  out  of  the  port  of  Callao  with  the  Pea- 
cock, and  deliver  my  money  to  the  Georgia  Packet,  outside  of 
the  Island  of  San  Lorenzo,  and  then  convoy  her  to  sea. 
After  every  thing  was  arranged,  the  two  ships  got  under  way 
together,  on  the  27th  of  April,  and  stood  out  of  the  port  of 
Callao  before  night ;  an  arrangement  was  made  by  all  the 
parties  concerned,  that  the  two  ships  should  stand  off  and  on 
all  night,  and  at  daylight  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  should  be 
transhipped  from  the  Peacock  to  the  Georgia  Packet ;  the  two 
commanders  having  agreed  upon  the  manner  of  standing  off 
and  on.  I  believe  the  regulation  was  that  the  Packet  should 
keep  under  the  lee-beam  or  lee-quarter  of  the  Peacock,  and 
tack  during  the  night,  whenever  the  sloop-of-war  should  make 
a  signal  for  that  purpose.  This  signal  was  to  be  the  hoisting 
of  a  lantern  at  the  mizzen-gaft  end.  After  these  preliminaries 
were  settled,  I  retired  to  my  berth  on  board  the  Packet,  and,  as 


244  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

it  was  a  fine  starlight  night,  and  only  |^blowing  a  moderate 
breeze  from  the  S.  E.,  I  congratulated  myself  upon  the  pros- 
pect of  getting  a  good  night's  rest,  and  be  ready  to  proceed  to 
business  at  daylight  in  the  morning.  But,  on  this  head,  I  was 
sadly  disappointed ;  for  I  had  not  retired  long  before  I  heard  a 
terrible  noise  overhead.  I  immediately  came  on  deck,  and 
found  the  two  ships  foul  of  each  other.  I  believe  the  jib-boom 
of  the  Packet  had  passed  over  the  forecastle  of  the  Peacock, 
and  thus  placed  the  bowsprit  of  the  Packet  in  great  danger  of 
being  carried  away.  Although  the  night  was  fine,  there  was 
a  rolling  swell  on,  and  our  little  ship  was  in  a  very  unpleasant 
position.  Our  sails  were  immediately  braced  aback,  and  Cap- 
tain Jones,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  ordered  one  of  his 
officers  to  take  twenty  men  and  bear  oft'  the  Packet,  and  clear 
the  ships  of  each  other.  There  was  no  noise  or  confusion  on 
board  the  Peacock,  and  I  could  now  and  then  hear  the  voices 
of  Captain  Jones  and  the  officer  of  the  deck  directing  the  men 
how  to  disengage  the  two  ships.  In  a  short  time  the  Packet 
was  shoved  clear  of  the  sloop-of-war,  but  not  until  the  bow- 
sprit of  the  Packet  was  carried  away,  together  with  some 
trifling  damage  about  her  bows. 

The  accident  happened  at  about  half  past  ten  in  the  eve- 
ning.    Lieutenant ,  had  charge  of  the  deck,  on  board  of 

the  Peacock,  and  the  mate  of  the  Packet  had  charge  of  the 
deck  on  board  that  ship.  I  believe  the  captains  of  both  ships 
were  below,  and  consequently  had  no  hand  in  getting  foul  of 
each  other.  I  was  a  passenger  on  board  the  Packet,  and  of 
course  had  no  responsibility  in  the  unfortunate  affair,  neither 
do  1  know  who  was  most  to  blame  ;  whether  the  lieutenant  of 
the  ship  of  war  or  the  mate  of  the  Packet,  There  was  doubt- 
less bad  management  between  them,  and  I  will  make  no  other 
reflections  on  the  subject.  I  have,  as  I  think,  stated  impar- 
tially all  the  facts  of  the  case,  and  hope,  if  it  should  ever 
meet  the  eye  of  a  young  oflicer  in  charge  of  a  ship  placed 
in  like  circumstances,  he  will  strive  to  avoid  collision  with 
other  ships,  which  is  at  all  times  dangerous,  and  sometimes 
proves  fatal  to  both  parties. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  245 

After  the  accident  we  gave  up  all  hope  of  transhipping 
the  specie,  and  having  cleared  away  the  wreck,  both  ships 
made  the  best  of  their  way  into  Callao  again.  This  acci- 
dent caused  a  delay  of  about  eight  or  ten  days,  to  get  a  new 
bowsprit  for  the  Packet,  repair  damages,  etc.  And  it  was 
not  until  the  7lh  of  May,  that  we  were  enabled  to  go  out- 
side the  port  again  and  tranship  the  specie,  which  ^was  at 
length  accomplished  without  any  further  accident. 

]  subsequently  learned  that  after  an  ordinary  passage, 
the  Georgia  Packet  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  and  that  the 
fifty  thousand  dollars  were  safely  delivered  to  my  owners. 
In  these  troublesome  revolutionary  times,  it  was  a  great  re- 
lief to  my  mind,  to  have  remitted  so  large  a  portion  of  my 
funds  to  my  employers,  as  it  lessened  my  responsibility  in 
the  management  of  so  large  an  amount  of  property  com- 
mitted to  my  care.  On  the  24th  of  April,  I  received  a  letter 
from  Captain  Hepburn,  dated  Arica,  the  9tli  of  that  month, 
informing  me  that  he  found  it  difficult  to  collect  the  funds 
due  at  that  place,  and  that  he  feared  he  should  be  detained 
two  or  three  weeks  longer,  before  he  should  be  able  to  re- 
alize them. 

Previous  to  leaving  Lima,  I  wrote  to  two  of  the  prin- 
cipal commercial  houses  of  Guayaquil,  authorizing  them  each 
to  purchase  for  my  account  in  that  city  3000  cargas  of  cocoa, 
making  together  GOOO  of  eighty-one  pounds  each,  if  they  could 
be  purchased  within  a  certain  limit.  Guayaquil,  like  all  other 
places  that  have  a  limited  market,  is  easily  afiected  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  several  purchasers  ;  therefore  it  is  always  best  for 
those  who  wish  to  procure  a  cargo  of  cocoa,  to  purchase  the 
hulk  of  it  in  a  silent  way  before  the  ship  makes  her  appear- 
ance, otherwise  the  sellers  will  hold  on  for  high  prices,  and 
perhaps  defeat  the  object  of  the  voyage.  I  required  something 
over  8000  cargas  for  a  full  load,  but  now  having  secured  GOOO. 
from  my  knowledge  of  the  place  I  knew  I  should  find  no  dif- 
ficulty in  procuring  the  remainder  at  the  same  rate,  or  even  at 
a  lower  price.     After  having  sold  all  the  goods  I  could  dispose 


246  VOYAGE   IN"  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

of  to  any  advantage,  and  procured  what  freight  I  could  collect 
for  the  leeward  ports,  I  concluded  to  proceed  with  the  Governor 
Clinton,  and  let  Captain  Hepburn  join  the  ship  at  Guayaquil. 
Having  on  a  former  voyage,  in  the  Sea-Serpent,  given  a 
sketch  of  Callao  and  Lima,  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  say  any 
more  on  that  subject  at  this  time,  and  will  only  make  a  few 
remarks  on  the  robberies  committed  on  the  Callao  road.  In 
the  midst  of  war  and  revolution  in  this  distracted  country, 
there  were  many  lesser  evils  at  this  period  to  contend  with. 
Peaceful  citizens  were  in  great  danger  while  travelling  through 
this  part  of  the  country.  Even  on  the  high  road  between 
Lima  and  Callao,  robberies  were  committed  almost  weekly. 

One  day  I  was  travelling  in  company  with  Mr.  Fanning, 
of  Lambayeque,  from  Callao  to  Lima,  and  when  about  mid- 
way we  met  with  a  young  German  gentleman,  an  assistant 
supercargo  belonging  to  a  Baltimore  ship.  He  was  from  Lima 
on  his  way  to  Callao,  and  had  just  been  robbed.  Being 
mounted  on  a  fine  horse  and  very  genteelly  dressed,  he  was 
accosted  by  three  ruffians,  who  knocked  him  down,  and  after 
beating  him  terribly,  stole  his  horse,  watch,  coat  and  money, 
and  left  him  bleeding  and  almost  naked.  A  few  moments  af- 
ter the  robbers  left  him,  Mr.  F.  and  myself  found  him  in  this 
deplorable  condition  ;  we  assisted  him  to  return  to  the  half-way 
house  on  the  road,  where  his  wounds  were  bound  up  and  he 
was  soon  taken  to  Lima.  Several  other  robberies  were  com- 
mitted about  this  time,  so  that  it  became  absolutely  necessary 
lor  two  or  three  persons,  well  armed,  to  travel  in  company''. 
These  dastardly  rascals  rarely  attacked  a  well-armed,  resolute 
man,  but  would  generally  wait  for  an  easy  prey  to  pounce 
upon. 

While  I  was  here  on  a  former  voyage,  the  Callao  road  was 
badly  infested  with  these  vile  robbers,  and  in  some  instances, 
even  nnn-der  had  been  committed.  These  scoundrels  went 
unpunished  so  long,  that  they  robbed  with  impunity.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  peaceable  part  of  the  community.  General  Mil- 
ler, an  Englishman,  belonging  to  the  Peruvian  army,  happened 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  247 

to  be  in  Lima,  and  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  military  gov- 
ernment of  the  city,  and  when  made  acquainted  widi  the  acts 
of  these  wretches,  determined  to  make  an  example  of  some  of 
them  as  soon  as  possible.  Not  long  after  this,  one  of  these 
fellows,  who,  it  was  said,  had  committed  many  robberies  and 
one  murder,  was  taken  and  brought  to  Lima  ;  but  it  so  hap- 
pened that  the  miscreant  contrived  to  get  loose  from  his  cap- 
tors, and  immediately  ran  into  one  of  the  churches,  and  tliere 
kneeling  at  the  altar,  claimed  the  protection  of  the  priests  ;  but 
his  manoeuvre,  however,  availed  him  nothing,  for  General  Miller 
forthwith  sent  a  guard  of  soldiers  and  dragged  the  villain  from 
the  altar,  tried  him  by  a  court  martial,  and  had  him  shot  the 
next  morning.  This  example  soon  put  a  stop  to  the  crimes  on 
this  road. 

When  this  country  belonged  to  old  Spain,  robbers  and 
murderers,  if  pursued,  would  escape  to  some  church  and  claim 
protection  from  the  priest,  and. as  the  ecclesiastical  power  was 
above  the  civil  or  military,  they  were  generally  acquitted  after 
doing  penance,  and  performing  other  rigid  religious  ceremo- 
nies. 

And  now,  after  having  made  every  necessary  arrangement, 
we  left  Callao  on  the  20th  of  May,  bound  for  Lambayeque  ; 
we  sailed  in  the  morning,  and  during  the  forepart  of  the  day 
had  light  and  variable  winds,  but  soon  after  noon  took  the  reg- 
ular S.  E.  trade,  and  steered  to  the  northward,  along  shore. 
Lambayeque  is  rather  a  blind  port.  The  town  lies  some  four 
or  five  miles  from  the  shore,  and  cannot  be  seen  from  the  ship. 
At  the  landing,  there  are  only  a  few  small  store-houses,  or 
fanchos,  which  makes  this  place  very  difficult  for  a  stranger  to 
find.  Along  this  coast  the  towns  generally  lie  back  from  the 
sea-shore,  from  six  to  twelve  miles  ;  and,  as  there  are  no  pilots 
except  at  Guayaquil,  it  is  highly  necessary  to  ascertain  the 
latitude  of  the  place  you  wish  to  find,  and  be  governed  accord- 
ingly. 

For  fear  of  running  by  our  port,  we  were  obliged  to  keep 
close  in  shore,  and  take  the  hazard  of  being  detained  by  light 


248  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

winds  and  calms,  which  often  prevail  near  the  land  ;  when  at 
a  little  distance  oflf  shore,  the  fresh  sea  breeze  continues  to 
blow  the  whole  twenty-four  hours.  Being  therefore  obliged 
to  keep  close  in,  we  continued  to  have  light  winds  and  calm 
weather  for  several  days.  We,  however,  had  remarkably 
pleasant  weather,  and  although  we  made  but  slow  progress  on 
our  course,  it  was  agreeable  to  run  along  the  land  in  this  very 
mild  and  gentle  sea,  where  there  are  no  violent  gales  or  storms 
to  hazard  life  or  limb,  and  where  it  is  rarely  necessary  to  reef 
a  sail  ;  and  should  a  ship  be  lost  or  stranded  on  this  coast,  it 
must  occur  from  carelessness  or  gross  stupidity. 

The  land  near  the  sea-shore  is  generally  low,  sandy,  and 
barren  ;  but  after  advancing  a  few  miles  into  the  interior,  it 
gradually  rises  from  hills  to  mountains,  often  towering  far 
above  the  clouds.  On  a  fine  morning,  it  is  a  beautiful  sight  to 
gaze  on  these  cloud-capped  peaks,  and  witness  the  change 
these  lofty  scenes  present.  Sometimes  they  are  entirely  ob- 
scured by  mist,  and  then  break  out  clear  and  free  from  clouds, 
and  stand  aloft,  stupendous  and  sublime.  On  the  27th  of 
May,  in  the  morning,  seven  days  from  Callao,  we  found  our- 
selves off  the  town  of  Eton,  and  not  knowing  precisely  where 
we  were,  I  brought  the  siiip  to  anchor,  near  a  little  bay,  in  ten 
fathoms  of  water,  about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  with  the  view 
of  ascertaining  our  position,  and  also  to  inquire  for  the  an- 
chorage of  Lambayeque,  We  set  our  ensign,  in  hopes  some 
boat  would  come  and  give 'us  the  desired  information:  but 
all  in  vain  ;  no  one  came,  though  we  could  plainly  see  with 
our  glasses  a  few  Indians  on  shore;  still  no  movement  was 
made,  and  after  waiting  an  hour  or  two,  1  decided  to  land  in 
our  own  boat.  For  that  ])urposc  manned  two,  the  jolly-boat 
and  pinnace.  The  first,  with  four  young  men,  volunteers,  and 
the  latter  prepared  to  anchor  just  outside  the  surf,  so  that  in 
cas9  any  accident  should  befall  the  jolly-boat,  the  other  would 
be  at  hand  to  save  myself  and  crew  from  drowning  among 
the  breakers.  It  was  a  fine,  calm  morning,  but  still  there  was 
an  awful  surf  rolling  on  the  beach,  which  was  exposed  to  the 
whole  rake  of  the  broad  Pacific,  without  any  thing  to  protect 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  249 

or  break  its  violence.  Thus  equipped,  we  pulled  into  the  little 
bay,  and  anchored  the  pinnace  just  outside  the  breakers,  and 
calmly  looked  on  the  scene  of  action.  I  then  addressed  the 
boat's  crew,  and  told  them,  that  if  any  one  feared  the  result 
of  landing,  to  express  it  openly,  and  that  I  would  not  insist  on 
their  going,  if  they  were  afraid  of  the  consequences.  The 
answer  was  unanimous,  that  they  were  not  afraid  lo  go  where 
their  captain  was  disposed  to  lead  them.  I  now  arranged 
with  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  anchored  boat,  to  wait  the  re- 
turn of  the  jolly-boat,  and  then  proceed  to  the  ship  together, 
with  directions  to  the  chief  mate  of  the  Governor  Clinton,  to 
wait  further  orders  from  mc,  before  he  got  the  ship  underway 
agahi ;  and  after  having  settled  the  preliminaries,  I  waited  a 
smooth  time  and  pulled  away  for  the  shore.  I  steered  the  boat 
with  an  oar,  and  fortunately  she  flew  like  an  arrow  over  the 
foaming  surf,  without  broaching  to,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
were  safely  landed  on  a  dry  sand  beach.  I  left  one  man  with 
the  boat,  and  took  the  other  three  with  me  in  search  of  the  town, 
which  was  located  about  a  mile  from  the  beach,  over  a  sandy 
desert.  On  our  way  to  the  village,  we  saw  several  Indians, 
but  they  all  fled  as  we  approached  them.  The  cause,  I  after- 
wards learned,  was  the  fear  of  being  impressed,  and  taken 
forcibly  away,  as  they  doubtless  took  us  for  a  Peruvian  ship- 
of-war.  We  soon  reached  the  village,  and  found  it  was  called 
Eton,  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  southward  of  Lam- 
bayeque. 

After  a  little  conversation  with  the  curate  and  the  alcalde, 
I  returned  to  the  beach,  and  waited  about  an  hour  for  the  surf 
to  run  down  a  little,  when  I  dispatched  the  boat  for  the  ship, 
retaining  a  favorite  sailor,  by  the  name  of  Brown,  to  accom- 
pany me  as  a  sort  of  aid  and  humble  companion,  to  ascertain 
how  the  land  lay,  and  whether  I  could  carry  on  any  trade 
with  the  inhabitants  of  Eton.  I  staid  on  the  shore  imtil  I 
saw  both  boats  safe  alongside  of  the  ship,  and  then,  with  my 
faithful  attendant,  returned  to  the  Indian  village,  where  we 
received  a  hearty  welcome  from  the  cura,  alcaUle,  and  all  the 
principal   men   and  women  of  this   little  town.      They   all 


250  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERXOR   CLINTON. 

crowded  round  us,  with  great  apparent  delight  and  curiosity  ; 
the  women,  particularly,  examined  our  clothing,  and  seemed 
anxious  to  see  how  they  were  cut,  and  scrutinized  the  sewing 
with  the  most  intense  curiosity.  The  cura  occupied  a  house 
adjoining  the  church,  and  said,  if  I  had  any  articles  of  mer- 
chandise, contraband  or  not  contraband,  that  he  would  give 
me  every  facility  in  his  power.  He  said  he  would  deposit 
them  in  a  secret  room  in  the  church,  where  they  would  be 
safe  and  sacred,  as  nobody  had  access  to  that  part  of  it  but 
himself;  that  he  was  the  only  white  man  in  the  village;  and 
that  the  people  were  simple,  honest,  and  ignorant ;  that 
through  their  confiding  ignorance  and  superstition,  he  gov- 
erned them  with  perfect  ease,  and  always  kept  them  quiet  and 
peaceable  ;  that  if  I  could  dispose  of  any  thing  to  advantage, 
he  should  be  satisfied  with  Avhatever  compensation  I  should 
think  proper  to  give  him.  He  treated  me  with  chocolate, 
bread,  aud  dulces,  sweetmeats,  etc.,  and  then  led  me  all  over 
the  town.  I  soon  learned  from  the  alcalde  and  the  principal 
shopkeepers,  that  I  could  dispose  of  but  very  few  articles,  and 
the  difficulty  of  landing  was  so  great,  that  I  resolved  to 
abandon  the  idea  of  trading  with  them. 

I  then  wrote  the  following  note  to  the  chief  mate,  and 
agreed  with  an  Indian,  through  the  alcalde,  to  take  it  on  board 
the  ship,  and  return  with  another  from  him. 

To  L.  B.  Griswold,  Chief  Mate  of  the  Governor  Clinton  : 

Sir, — 1  find  this  place  is  not  Lambayeque,  but  an  Indian 
village  called  Eton,  about  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  south- 
ward of  our  port.  You  will,  therefore,  on  the  reception  of  this 
note,  please  get  the  ship  under  way,  and  make  the  best  of  your 
way  to  our  place  of  destination.  I  will  retain  Brown  with 
me,  and  shall  leave  here  to-morrow  morning,  on  horseback, 
for  Lambayeque. 

Wishing  you  a  safe  and  speedy  passage, 

I  remain  your  friend  and  obed't  scrv't, 

GEORGE  COGGESHALL. 
Eton,  Friday,  May  27ih. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP  GOVERNOR  CLINTON,  251 

In  a  few  minutes  the  liulian  fastened  the  note  in  his  hiiir, 
and  swam  off  through  the  surf  to  the  ship;  and  in  al)out  an 
hour,  this  amj)hihious  animal  returned  with  the  following 
note  from  the  chief  mate  of  the  Governor  Clinton  (for  this 
service  I  think  I  paid  the  Indian  one  dollar). 

Ship  Governor  Clinton,  off  Eton,  May  lllh,  182G. 

Captain  George  Coggeshall : 

Sir, — I  have  just  received  your  note  hy  an  Indian,  and 
will  obey  your  order  without  delay.     I  can  now  see  two  brigs 
at  anchor,  bearing  from  us  about  N.  W.  by  N.,  10  or  12  miles 
distant,  which  I  suppose  is  the  port  we  are  looking  after. 
I  remain. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

L.  B.  GRISWOLD. 


I  had  now  decided  to  remain  at  Eton  during  the  remainder 
of  this  day,  and  after  a  night's  rest,  take  horses  and  start  at 
daylight  to-morrow  morning  for  Lambayeque.  The  Indian 
village  of  Eton  lies  in  G°  56'  south  latitude  ;  longitude  79° 
49'  west,  and  about  fifteen  miles  by  land  from  Lambayeque. 
It  is  situated  about  a  mile  from  the  sea-shore,  on  a  plain,  and 
I  should  judge  contains  about  a  thousand  or  twelve  hundred 
souls — all  Indians,  except  the  cura.  They  generally  speak 
Spanish,  though  they  all  understand  and  often  converse  in 
the  original  Peruvian  language.  They  are  a  good-looking 
race  of  Indians,  of  a  light  copper-color,  and  some  of  tiie  fe- 
males are  handsome.  The  women  mostly  dress  in  long  flow- 
ing robes  of  blue  cotton  cloth,  made  by  themselves.  The  men 
wear  short  jackets  and  trowsers,  of  different  colors — some  of 
their  own  making,  and  others  of  foreign  stuffs,  bought  in  Lam- 
bayeque. They  weave  cotton  and  woollen  ponchos,  and  other 
articles  of  dress,  of  bright  colors — many  of  which  are  very  in- 
genious and  pretty.     They  seem  to  be  a  harmless,  docile  race. 


252  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERXOR   CLINTON. 

and  have  none  of  the  haughty  bearing  of  the  North  American 
Indians.  Their  rehgion  is  all  deriv^ed  from  the  Roman  Catho- 
hc  priests,  and  of  course  abounds  in  forms  and  ceremonies. 
They  are  credulous  to  the  last  degree ;  believe  all  they  are 
taught  by  the  cura  ;  will  recount  many  miracles  that  have 
been  performed  by  sundry  saints  ;  and  believe  that  their  village 
is  under  the  special  protection  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  whom  they 
term  the  "  Mother  of  God." 

There  is  rather  a  pretty  church  in  the  village,  and,  I  should 
think,  about  two  hundred  houses — the  most  of  which  are  one 
story  high,  and  are  built  of  sun-burnt  brick,  with  thatched 
roofs.  They  have  also  a  small  chapel,  built  near  the  sea- 
shore where  we  landed.  This  church,  I  was  told,  was  built 
in  commemoration  of  some  pious  saint,  who,  by  his  prayers, 
saved  the  lives  of  the  crew  of  a  small  vessel  that  was  stranded 
near  the  spot  where  it  stands.  The  cura  told  me,  that  once 
a  year  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  marched  in  solemn 
procession  to  this  little  edifice,  to  offer  their  prayers  to  its 
patron  saint,  and  also  to  thank  the  Holy  Virgin  for  her  kind 
protection  during  the  last  year.  During  the  evening  of  my 
sojourn  here  there  was  a  great  procession  formed,  and  marched 
about  the  streets  with  rude  music,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental ;  and  after  this  ceremony  had  been  performed,  they 
entered  the  churchy  listened  to  the  prayers,  and  received  the 
blessing  of  the  cura,  and  then  retired  quietly  to  their  respective 
homes,  apparently  pleased  and  happy. 

They  had  at  Eton  a  tolerable  market,  which  was  pretty 
well  supplied  with  beef,  mutton,  poultry  and  fruit,  and  at  very 
reasonable  prices.  Brown  and  myself  ate  and  lodged  with 
the  alcalde,  and  fared  very  well.  His  charges  for  our  food 
and  lodgings  were  reasonable.  I  arranged  with  him,  to  furnish 
me  with  two  horses,  and  a  man,  also  mounted,  to  serve  as  a 
guide  to  Lambayeque,  and  to  take  back  the  horses.  We  pro- 
vided ourselves  with  provisions  before  starting,  as  I  understood 
we  could  get  nothing  on  the  road.  For  the  guide  and  the 
horses,  1  agreed  to  pay  Seiior  Alcalde  six  dollars :  and  after 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  253 

making  sundry  presents  to  niy^  friend  the  pudre,  \vc  started  at 
six  o'clock  the  next  morning,  May  twenty-eighth,  lor  the  city 
of  Lambayeque,  and  bade  adieu  for  ever  to  Eton. 

We  travelled  at  a  moderate  rate  over  a  very  irregular  road, 
sometimes  nnal  and  pleasant,  at  others,  rough  and  barren, 
with  now  and  then  a  few  ranchos  and  some  patches  of  cul- 
tivation, but  no  regular  carriage  road.  Our  guide  was  a  mer- 
ry social  fellow,  and  amused  inc  by  relating  in  detail,  many 
wonderful  miracles  that  had  been  wrought  hy  various  saints 
in  and  about  Eton,  at  diflerent  periods.  One  among  others, 
I  recollect,  was,  that  the  Virgin  Mary,  in  company  with  an 
Angel,  descended  one  night  at  a  certain  place  near  their  vil- 
lage, and  ever  since  they  set  their  feet  upon  the  ground  that 
spot  has  a  hollow  vibrating  sound,  and  has  since  been  con- 
secrated hy  their  saint-like  cura,  and  is  now  considered  as  a 
holy  place. 

I  heard  him  relate  these  miracles,  which  he  appeared  to 
think  were  as  true  as  Holy  Writ.  When  at  length  1  asked 
him  whether  he  was  foolish  enough  to  believe  such  absurd 
stories,  which  I  assured  him  had  not  a  shadow  of  truth  in 
them,  and  were  only  got  up  to  deceive  him  and  his  credulous 
countrymen,  the  poor  fellow  was  terribly  shocked  at  my  in- 
credulity, and  began  to  cross  himself  in  a  most  serious  and 
devout  manner,  and  his  countenance  seemed  to  say,  "  Oh 
God,  deliver  me  from  this  unbelieving  heretic!"  After  this, 
we  rode  on  for  some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  in  perfect 
silence.  We  were  about  three  hours  on  the  road,  and  arrived 
at  Lambayeque  at  nine  o'clock,  after  rather  a  pleasant  ride; 
the  weather  was  fine,  and  there  is  always  much  to  admire  in 
wild  and  loaiantic  scenery. 

I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  an  American  gentleman, 
who  was  the  principal  merchant  residing  in  this  town.  He 
was  a  most  worthy  man,  and  received  me  in  a  kind,  friendly 
manner ;  he  made  me  feel  quite  at  home  in  his  hos[)itable 
mansion.  John  J.  Fanning  was  a  native  of  Mystic,  near 
Stonington,  Connecticut,  and  had  been  absent  from  his  home 


254  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

and  country  about  twenty  years  ;  here  he  married  a  respect- 
ble  young  lady,  a  native  of  this  place,  where  he  had  been 
residing  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  with  the  exception  of  now 
and  then  making  a  voyage  to  Lima  and  other  places  along 
the  Peruvian  coast.  He  had  a  family  of  six  children,  and 
was  one  of  the  richest  and  most  influential  men  in  Lamba- 
yeque.  He  had  been  in  this  country  so  long  that  he  had  for- 
gotten a  great  deal  of  his  own  language,  and  spoke  English 
with  the  Spanish  accent,  and  appeared  more  like  a  Peruvian 
than  a  native  of  Connecticut.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind, 
open-hearted  and  generous  to  a  fault ;  and  although  he  had 
been  so  many  years  absent  from  the  United  States,  he  ap- 
peared to  have  lost  nothing  of  his  patriotism.  He  was 
always  delighted  to  meet  his  countrymen,  and  loved  to  dwell  on 
the  growth,  prosperity  and  power  of  his  beloved  country.  His 
wife  and  children  spoke  not  a  word  of  English,  but  whenever 
Mr.  F.  introduced  an  American  to  them,  Mrs.  Fanning  and 
her  children  seemed  to  have  a  kindred  feeling  for  the  country- 
men of  the  husband  and  father. 

The  weather  had  been  pleasant  for  the  last  two  days,  but 
the  winds  so  light  and  baffling,  that  the  Governor  Clinton  did 
not  get  to  the  anchorage  at  Lambayeque  until  the  thirty-first 
of  May,  four  days  after  I  left  her  off  Eton. 

Although  Lambayeque  was  a  place  of  some  importance 
in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  still  there  was  not  a  comfort- 
able hotel  in  the  town.  This  circumstance  induced  Mr.  Fan- 
ning to  hire  a  house,  and  establish  a  Swedish  sailor,  by  the 
name  of  Joseph  Menich,  to  take  charge  of  this  establishment, 
that  strangers  coming  to  this  place  should  be  made  more  com- 
fortable ;  and  it  was  at  this  house  that  myself  and  my  assist- 
ant supercargo  took  up  our  abode.  We  soon  became  ac 
quainted  with  the  leading  families  in  this  place,  so  that  after 
the  labor  of  the  day  was  over,  we  could  spend  our  evenings 
m  the  society  of  several  agreeable  families. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  I  agreed  with  Mr.  Fanning  to  land  sev- 
eral bales  of  German  platillas,  ten  boxes  of  hyson  tea,  sundry 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  255 

trunks  of  printed  calicoes,  fifty  boxes  of  claret  wine,  and  many 
other  articles  of  merchandise,  and  leave  them  in  his  hands  to 
dispose  of  on  commission,  for  account  of  the  owners  of  the 
Governor  Clinton  ;  and  that  I  would  return  here  after  I  had 
purchased  a  cargo  of  cocoa  at  Guayaquil  on  my  way  up  the 
coast,  before  my  fmal  departure  from  this  country  for  Gibral- 
tar. 

Fortunately  the  weather  continued  mild  and  fair  for  several 
days,  and  we  landed  all  our  goods  in  safety ;  using  the  balsas 
which  are  owned  and  manned  by  the  Indian  watermen  who 
reside  near  the  sea-shore,  and  are  very  expert  in  the  manage- 
ment of  these  buoyant  floating  craft.  Without  the  aid  of  these 
balsas,  there  could  be  little  or  no  communication  with  the 
shore  on  this  part  of  the  Peruvian  coast,  where  there  are  no 
harbors  for  several  hundred  miles  ;  and  thus  all  the  goods  that 
are  landed  or  shipped  from  this  part  of  the  coast,  are  transport- 
ed by  the  Indians  on  balsas.  They  are  made  in  the  following 
manner:  by  placing  eight  or  ten  large  pieces  of  very  light 
buoyant  wood,  say  about  the  size  of  a  barrel,  parallel  with  each 
other,  tightly  bound  and  secured  together,  then  cross-pieces  of 
smaller  logs  are  laid  amidships,  when  a  platform  is  erected  of 
boards,  over  which  are  spread  dry  mats,  and  then  a  mast  and 
sail  to  conform  to  the  size  of  the  balsa.  They  float  very 
lightly  and  high  out  of  the  water,  and  are  capable  of  carrying 
large  cargoes.  They  are  made  large  or  small  according  to  the 
taste  or  desire  of  those  who  make  them.  Thus  constructed 
and  equipped,  they  ply  up  and  down  the  coast  to  most  of  the 
neighboring  towns  and  villages  lying  along  the  sea-shore  in 
this  part  of  Peru.  They  are  admirably  adapted  to  landing 
and  going  off  through  the  surf,  where  no  other  boat  could  live 
or  be  safe  under  like  circumstances.  While  here  I  went  on 
board  one  of  these  balsas,  which  was  about  sailing  on  a  fish- 
ing expedition  to  the  Lobos  Islands.  They  expected  to  be 
absent  about  a  week  or  ten  days.  These  islands  are  two  in 
number,  are  uninhabited,  but  abound  in  fish.  They  lie  very 
near  the  coast,  in  latitude  6°  58'  south,  and  longitude  80^  4^ 


256  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

west.  All  the  stores  I  saw  prepared  for  the  voyage,  were  a 
httle  sah,  a  few  bags  of  parched  corn,  and  a  barrel  of  wa- 
ter ;  with  a  crew  of  eight  or  ten  men.  They  appeared  to  be 
quite  happy,  and  anticipated  a  profitable  voyage,  by  returning 
with  a  cargo  of  pickled  and  dried  fish. 

I  think  these  frail  floating  vessels  fairly  illustrate  the  uni- 
form mildness  of  this  fine  climate,  where  for  several  hundred 
miles  in  extent,  the  sea  can  be  navigated  in  open  boats  and 
floating  rafts  with  perfect  safety.*  Here  are  no  gales  to  alarm 
tlie  mariner,  or  render  it  necessary  for  him  to  watch  the  clouds 
or  observe  the  symptoms  of  the  coming  storm  ;  and  I  repeat 
that  there  never  was  a  sea  more  appropriately  named  than  this 
Pacific. 

I  find  no  mention  made,  or  notice  taken,  in  any  book  with- 
in my  reach,  of  Lambayeque,  and  have  nothing  to  refer  to  on 
the  subject.  1  will,  however,  here  attempt  to  give  a  slight 
sketch  of  the  place,  extracted  from  my  journal.  This  town 
lies  in  latitude  6°  40'  S.,  longitude  79°  50'  W.  of  London, 
and  is  located  on  a  plain,  about  six  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
probably  contains  about  ten  or  twelve  thousand  inhabitants,  a 
large  portion  of  whom  are  Indians,  and  a  mixture  of  the 
Spanish  race  with  the  original  Peruvians,  with  an  occasional 
crossing  by  the  African  breed;  here  one  meets  with  all  the 
intermediate  shades  of  the  white  and  black  races. 

The  public  buildings  are  small  and  insignificant,  except 
the  principal  church,  or  cathedral.  This  is  large,  and  has  a 
tower  snfliciently  high  to  overlook  tlio  adjacent  country,  and 
the  shi|ii)ing  lying  at  anchor  in  the  roadstead.  To  this  tower 
I  used  often  to  repair,  with  a  spy-glass,  to  'observe  the  ships- 
lying  at  anchor,  or  standing  off  and  on  the  lan.ding-place.  I 
believe  there  are  one  or  two  other  little  churches,  of  not  much 
nolo.  The  inlial)itants  of  Lambayeque  are  all  Roman  Catho- 
lics, and  a  great  niajority  of  them  are  extremely  ignorant  and 

*  Tf  nskc'd  liow  tliese  buoyant  rafts  can  beat  to  windward,  I  answer  by 
inserthijr  pieces  of  l)oard3  down  between  tlic  logs  to  act  as  a  keel. 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  257 

SLiperstilious,  bclieviiiir  in  all  sorts  of  miracles  and  absurdi- 
ties. For  example,  I  once  met  a  grand  procession  in  the 
streets,  Ibllowing  three  innnense  wax  figures  some  six  or 
eight  feet  high,  dressed  in  long,  loose  robes,  and  mounted 
upon  the  heads  of  three  stout  negroes,  in  such  a  manner 
that  their  feet  only  could  be  seen.  The  first  one  represent- 
ed an  old  man  with  a  gray  head ;  the  second,  a  person 
much  younger;  and  the  third  was  intended  to  represent  a 
person  somewhere  between  the  other  two.  These  grotesque 
figures  were  immediately  followed  by  a  Padre,  and  a  large 
number  of  people,  generally  of  the  lower  classes.  In  the 
train  they  had  also  various  kinds  of  rude  music,  such  as 
drums,  fifes,  fiddles,  tambourines,  etc.,  all  playing  and  sing- 
ing about  the  streets.  This  ceremony  lasted  perhaps  two 
hours,  when  the  whole  cortege  marched  to  the  cathedral, 
where  the  images  were  deposited,  and  the  assembly  dismissed. 
I  was  standing  in  the  street,  with  a  friend,  near  where  the 
procession  passed,  when  the  following  dialogue  took  place,  be-- 
tween  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  and  myself,  thus:  "My 
friend,  can  you  tell  me  what  those  large  images  mean  to  re- 
present ?*'  when  he  answered  wnth  much  apparent  surprise, 
"  Si,  Scilor,  Aquellas  representan,  El  Padre,  el  Hijo  y,  el  Espi- 
ritu  Santo  ;"  and  at  the  same  time  gave  me  a  look,  which 
seemed  to  say,  Oh  !  how  I  pity  your  profound  ignorance  ! 

They  have  here  a  tolerable  market  for  the  ordinary 
necessaries  of  life  ;  beef,  mutton,  and  poultry,  are  pretty  good. 
I  ought,  however,  to  qualify  tiieso  remarks,  and  observe  that 
in  all  warm  countries  and  in  low  latitudes  generally,  beef  is 
not  very  good,  so  I  found  it  in  this  place  :  though  it  was  but 
indifierent,  the  mutton  and  poultry  were  excellent,  and  not 
very  dear.  The  prices  1  paid  for  the  supplies  of  our  ship,, 
were  as  follows  : — for  beef,  five  to  six  cents  per  pound  ;  sheep^ 
three  dollars  each  ;  fowls,  one  dollar  a  pair;  rice,  three  and  a 
half  cents  per  pound  ;  sweet  potatoes,  fruit  and  vegetables 
generally,  abundant  and  clieaj).  They  have  })lenty  of  Indian 
17 


258  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

corn,  but  no  wheat,  except  what  is  brought  from  Cliih  and 
other  countries. 

Many  of  the  houses  of  the  richer  classes  are  well  built 
and  comfortable :  those  of  the  poor,  are  but  one  story  high, 
and  built  of  sun-burnt  brick.  The  gardens  and  grounds  in 
the  southern  and  eastern  vicinity  of  the  city,  are  pleasant  and 
tolerably  well  cultivated  ;  but  the  land  between  the  town  and 
the  sea-shore,  is  but  a  wide  space  of  barren  sand. 

There  is  considerable  commerce  carried  on  at  this  place, 
notwithstanding  it  has  no  harbor  for  shipping.  There  was 
here  one  English  brig,  one  Peruvian  schooner,  and  our  ship, 
the  Governor  Clinton.  They  have  but  little  to  export  save  the 
precious  metals,  and  these  consist  principally  of  crude  silver, 
called  in  the  Spanish  language,  plata-pina.  They  sometimes 
export  a  few  ox-hides,  goat-skins,  and  some  other  articles  ;  but 
the  whole  of  these  exports  amount  to  very  little  compared 
with  what  they  import,  or  rather  what  is  brought  to  them  from 
England,  France,  and  the  United  States  of  North  America ; 
consequently  it  follows  that  this  country  must  continue  poor  so 
long  as  they  manufacture  little  or  nothing  for  themselves,  and 
have  to  purchase  every  thing  with  the  produce  of  their  gold 
and  silver  mines.  In  fine,  they  do  not  wait  long  enough  to 
have  it  coined,  but  dispose  of  it  in  its  crude  state  ;  it  is  cast  in 
all  manner  of  shapes,  in  pieces  from  the  size  of  a  man's  list  to 
that  of  a  seven  pound  sugar  loaf. 

After  landing  all  the  merchandise  intended  for  this  port, 
and  getting  on  board  a  few  casks  of  water,  and  a  supply  of 
fresh  provisions,  fruit  and  vegetables,  we  got  ready  for  sea ; 
but  before  sailing,  I  made  an  arrangement  with  my  friend  and 
fellow-countryman,  I'\vnning,  to  purchase  for  my  account  a 
considerable  quantity  of  plata-pina,  if  to  be  obtained  at  a  cer- 
J^^ain  limit. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  June  I  took  leave  of  my 
friends  in  Lamljayeque,  repaired  immediately  on  board  the 
Governor  Clinton,  and  got  under  way,  bound  to  Payta,  The 
win',   was  light  during  the  morning,  but  in  the  afternoon  the 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERXOR   CLINTON.  259 

regular  sea  breeze  sprung  up,  when  we  proceeded  rapidly  on 
our  course  before  the  wind  along  shore,  towards  our  destined 
port.  We  had  a  fine  fresh  breeze  during  the  night,  and  at 
daylight  in  the  morning  found  ourselves  near  Point  de  Payta, 
and  being  quite  familiar  with  the  bay  and  harbor,  we  hauled 
close  in  with  the  point,  steered  up  the  bay  and  came  to  an- 
chor on  the  5th  of  June,  directly  opposite  the  town,  in  ten 
fathoms  of  water. 

For  a  description  of  the  bay,  harbor  and  town,  I  beg  leave 
to  refer  the  reader  to  my  former  voyage  in  the  brig  Dick,  in 
August,  1822. 

On  my  arrival  here  I  employed  Don  Francisco  Tabara  to 
assist  me  in  my  business.  He  is  a  native  of  this  place,  and  is 
one  of  the  richest  and  most  influential  merchants  belonging  to 
Payta,  and  to  this  gentleman  I  sold  goods  to  a  very  considera- 
ble amount,  and  agreed  to  receive  my  pay  in  Peruvian  bark,  it 
being  at  this  time  diff^icult  to  obtain  cash  for  articles  which 
were  not  in  immediate  demand.  Four  days  after  my  arrival, 
the  United  States  ship  Peacock,  Captain  Thomas  Ap  Catesby 
Jones,  arrived  here  from  Lima,  and  being  unable  to  obtain 
what  supplies  she  required,  lay  here  but  one  day,  and  then 
made  sail  for  Guayaquil.  I,  however,  continued  to  retail 
what  goods  I  could  for  cash,  and  such  as  were  not  adapted  to 
this  market  to  take  to  Guayaquil ;  still  I  had  simdry  articles  of 
merchandise  which  I  judged  advisable  to  leave  in  the  hands  of 
Don  F.  Tabara,  to  dispose  of  for  account  of  my  owners ;  and 
among  other  things,  left  with  him  fifty  barrels  of  beef  and 
pork  to  dispose  of  during  my  absence.  I  agreed  with  3Ir.  T. 
to  return  here  from  (Juayaquil,  after  I  had  taken  on  board  a 
cargo  of  cocoa,  and  receive  the  bark  and  specie  which  he 
promised  to  have  ready  on  my  return.  After  lying  in  this  port 
just  one  week,  we  made  sail  for  Guayaquil  on  the  12tli  of  June, 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  with  a  fresh  S.  E.  trade  wind, 
and  steered  down  along  shore  towards  Cape  Blanco.  When 
near  this  cape,  we  found  it  necessary  to  hand  our  top-gallant 
sails  and  single-reef  the  topsails.     This  is  a  very  conspicuous 


260  VOYAGE   IX   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

point,  and  a  very  remarkable  place  for  strong  breezes.  It  is  a 
common  saying  among  seamen  in  this  part  of  the  world,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  pass  this  cape  without  meeting  with  strong 
gales,  which  almost  always  render  it  necessary  to  hand  all 
light  sails,  and  reef  topsails.  Cape  Blanco  lies  in  latitude  4° 
19'  south,  and  81°  6'  Avest.  The  next  day,  June  13th,  after 
passing  this  cape,  the  wind  moderated  and  the  weather  was 
fine.  We  saw  the  land  about  Point  Los  Picos,  bearing  S.  E., 
about  four  or  five  leagues  distant.  Latitude,  by  observation  at 
noon,  3°  35'  south. 

The  next  day,  June  14th,  the  wind  was  light  from  the 
southward,  with  fine  pleasant  weather,  the  land  in  sight  all 
along  shore.  At  four  in  the  afternoon  passed  near  the  mouth 
of  the  River  Tumbes,  and  steered  up  the  bay,  with  a  pleasant 
breeze  from  the  southwest.  At  10  P.  M.  it  fell  calm,  when 
we  anchored  for  the  night  in  five  fathoms  of  water. 

June  15th. — Got  under  way  at  daylight,  with  light,  bafiiing 
winds,  and  stood  up  the  river.  At  six  in  the  afternoon  arrived 
at  the  Island  of  Puna,  when  we  met  the  ebb-tide  and  came  to 
anchor  for  the  night  in  four  and  a  half  fathoms  of  water. 
Light  winds  and  fair  weather. 

Jime  16th. — At  7  A.  M.  received  a  river  pilot  on  board, 
and  at  8  A.  M.  got  under  way,  and  stood  up  the  river  with  a 
fair  wind  from  the  S.  W.,  and  clear,  pleasant  weather. 

At  about  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  wc  came  to  anchor  op- 
posite Guayaquil,  in  six  fathoms  of  water,  after  a  pleasant 
passage  of  four  days  from  Payta. 

On  my  arrival  here,  I  found  the  two  American  houses, 
Messrs.  Wheelright  &.  Boully,  and  Messrs.  Bartlett  &  Swett, 
had  purchased  all  the  cocoa  I  had  ordered,  say  8,000  cargas, 
at  a  price  within  my  limits,  and  that  it  was  all  ready  to  go  on 
board.  But  I  had  still  remaining  of  my  outward  cargo  unsold, 
about  100  barrels  of  snlt  beef  and  pork,  and  a  considerable 
quantity  of  English  and  Gorman  goods.  I,  however,  lost  no 
time  in  discharging  my  ballast,  and  getting  the  ship  ready  to 
receive  the  cocoa  ;  when,  to  n)y  great  joy,  my  efficient  friend 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  261 

and  former  captain,  arrived  here  from  Arica  via  Lima,  on 
the  3d  of  July,  and  again  took  the  command  of  the  Governor 
CHnton.  This  circumstance  reheved  my  mind  very  much, 
and  left  me  at  liberty  to  write  to  my  correspondents  at  Payta 
and  Lambayeque,  requesting  them  to  get  every  thing  in  readi- 
ness, against  my  return  to  their  respective  ports.  I  also  had 
more  leisure  to  attend  to  the  sale  of  what  goods  I  had  still  re- 
maining. I  found  lying  here,  on  my  arrival,  the  U.  S.  ship 
Peacock,  taking  in  stores,  and  preparing  for  a  voyage  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  There  were  also  several  merchant  ships 
of  dilferent  nations,  principally  English  and  Americans.  I 
should  think  there  were  about  fifteen  or  twenty  sail  in  port, 
including  seven  or  eight  coasting  vessels.  I  recollect  the 
names  of  but  iwo  of  the  American  vessels  lying  in  this  port, 
namely,  the  brig  Phoenix,  of  Salem,  and  the  brig  Nile,  Capt. 
George  Newell,  of  Boston.  ^ 

On  a  former  voyage  to  this  place,  in  the  brig  Dick,  in  Au- 
gust, 1822,  I  remarked,  that  floating  rafts,  or  balsas,  were  used 
as  lighters,  for  loading  and  unloading  ships  at  this  port,  and 
all  the  other  little  places  lying  on  this  river. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  we  commenced  taking  on  board  our 
cargo,  in  the  following  manner.  The  cocoa  is  all  put  into 
sacks  and  weighed  on  shore,  in  the  warehouses,  and  from 
thence  taken  on  the  shoulders  of  Peons,  then  put  on  board  of 
the  balsas,  floated  to  the  ship,  and  poured  into  the  ship's  hold 
in  bulk.  Cocoa  loads  a  ship  very  deep,  and  it  is  not  always 
prudent  to  fill  her  entirely.  We  finished  loading  on  the  17th 
of  July,  and  had  on  board  8,600  cargas,  each  weighing  81 
pounds.  We  had  also  300  dry  ox  hides,  and  a  quantity  of  old 
copper ;  and  after  taking  in  sundry  ship  stores,  cleared  out 
and  got  ready  for  sea,  and  on  tlie  20th  of  July,  made  sail  for 
Payta.  Two  days  after  leaving  Guayaquil,  we  got  out  of 
the  rivei-'s  mouth.  We  came  to  anchor  in  that  port  on  the 
26th  of  July,  after  a  passage  of  six  days,  without  meeting  with 
any  incident  worth  recording. 

I  found,  on  my  arrival  here,  that  Don  Francisco  Tabara 
had  disposed  of  nearly  all  the  goods,  and  had  the  avails  ready 


262  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP    GOVERNOR   CLINTON, 

to  go  on  board,  namely,  bark  and  specie.  On  the  28th  of  Ju- 
ly, I  took  on  board  160  ceroons  of  Peruvian  bark,  and  after 
filling  up  all  our  water-casks,  and  receiving  a  quantity  of 
stores,  got  ready  for  sea. 

Having  on  a  former  voyage  given  a  sketch  of  this  little  place, 
I  will  only  make  a  few  remarks  on  its  pure  air  and  healthful 
location.  Many  of  its  inhabitants  live  to  a  very  great  age. 
While  I  was  here,  a  man  died  who  was  said  to  be  111  years 
old.  I  went  with  Don  F.  Tabara  from  curiosity,  to  see  seve- 
ral old  people,  that  were  from  90  to  100  years.  Among  others, 
we  visited  an  old  man  and  his  wife,  the  latter  was  100  years 
of  age,  and  the  husband  probably  somewhat  older.  He  ap- 
peared to  retain  his  mental  faculties,  and  was  able  to  walk 
about ;  he  told  us  he  clearly  recollected  when  the  town  was 
taken  and  sacked  by  the  English — or  to  use  his  own  words,. 
"  Me  acuerdo  del  tiempo  quando  mi  padre  me  llevo  para  ver 
los  soldados  Ingleses  que  tomaron  esta  villa  y  que  estaban 
vestidos  de  Colorado."  In  corroboration  of  his  statement,  I 
find,  on  referring  to  Lord  Anson's  voyages  to  the  Pacific,  that 
in  the  year  1741,  he  took  this  little  town,  and  that,  after  hav- 
ing driven  away  the  garrison,  he  sacked  and  burnt  the  place, 
and  the  spoils  amounted  to  £30,000  sterling  (or  say  about 
$150,000),  besides  jewels  and  silver  plate,  to  a  very  large 
amount.  The  old  man's  wife,  though  not  so  aged  as  himself, 
had  lost  her  memory,  and  looked  very  much  like  an  Egyptian 
mummy.  I  gave  these  people  a  trifling  sum  of  money,  with 
a  few  bottles  of  wine,  and  in  return  received  their  blessing, 
and  a  thousand  thanks  for  what  they  termed  my  liberality. 
They  live  extremely  simple,  retire  to  rest  at  nightfall,  and  rise 
at  daylight. 

On  the  30th  of  July,  after  staying  in  this  port  four  days, 
we  made  sail  for  Lambayequc.  We  stood  off  to  the  S.  S.  W., 
with  a  fine  fresh  S.  E.  trade  wind  to  get  off  shore  far  enough 
to  avoid  calms  and  baffling  winds,  and  were  favored  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather  for  several  days.  We  continued  to  beat  up 
against  strong  breezes,  with  a  considerable  Ice  current  against 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP  GOVERNOK   CLINTON.  263 

US,  and  did  not  arrive  at  Lumbayeque  roads  luitil  the  morning 
of  the  6th  of  August,  after  a  passage  of  six  days. 

Assoon  as  wccame  to  anchor,  my  friend,  Mr.  John  I.  Fanning, 

sent  otf  a  small  balsa,  and  took  Mr. and  myself  on  shore, 

where  we  remained  all  night.  The  next  day,  August  7th,  we 
took  horses,  and  rode  to  the  landing  ;  the  weather  being  fine, 
we  repaired  on  board  the  Governor  Clinton,  on  a  balsa,  and 
brought  with  us  all  the  dollars  and  doubloons  we  had  on  board, 
to  pay  for  the  plata-piila  purchased  by  Mr.  F.,  for  account  of 
myself  and  the  owners  of  the  Go\jernor  Clinton.  This  was 
happily  performed  without  any  accident.  The  next  day,  Au- 
gust 8th,  Mr.  Fanning  purchased  what  plata-piua  was  needed 
to  complete  the  amount  required  by  me,  together  with  all  ne- 
cessary sea-stores,  such  as  sheep,  poultry,  rice,  potatoes,  and 
other  vegetables.  The  next  day,  August  9th,  we  saw  weighed 
and  packed  all  our  plata-piQa.  It  was  put  into  ten  patacas  or 
strong  baskets,  filled  in  with  small  cakes  of  chancaca,  or  half- 
boiled  sugar,  to  confine  the  piiia,  and  prevent  it  from  shifting 
about  in  the  baskets.  There  were  2,200  marks.  This  pina 
cost  on  shore,  eight  dollars  per  mark,  exclusive  of  commissions 
and  shipping  charges,  and  ultimately  proved  a  better  remit- 
tance than  either  dollars  or  doubloons.  Early  in  the  morning, 
on  the  12th  of  August,  these  patacas  were  placed  upon  the 
backs  of  mules,  and  after  several  donkeys  were  loaded  with 
our  live  stock,  vegetables  and  other  sea-stores,  the  whole  cav- 
alcade started  for  the  landing-place.  We  had  with  us  Mr. 
Fanning,  his  clerks,  and  several  custom-house  officers,  but  on 
our  arrival  at  the  beach,  to  our  great  disappointment,  we  found 
the  Indians  had  no  balsa  ready  to  transport  our  treasure  on 
board,  consequently  we  were  obliged  to  put  every  thing  into 
Mr.  Fanning's  warehouse,  near  the  shore,  and  wait  for  the  In- 
dians to  get  the  balsa  ready,  which  detained  us  until  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

There  had  been  during  the  day  a  fresh  sea-breeze,  which 
produced  considerable  surf,  that  did  not  exist  in  the  morn- 
ing, so  that  all  our  trouble  and  difficulty  arose  from  the  care- 


264  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON. 

less  indolence  of  the  Indian  watermen — of  whom  there  were 
three — to  sail  and  manage  the  balsa ;  beside  these,  there  were 

also  Mr. ,  myself,  and  two  sailors  belonging  to  the  ship. 

We  at  length  got  every  thing  on  board,  and  made  sail  to  pass 
through  the  surf  in  the  ordinffry  way.  The  wind,  at  the  time, 
was  blowing  a  moderate  breeze  directly  along  the  shore,  so 
that  the  sail  of  the  balsa  was  full,  and  it  moved  off  apparently 
very  well  for  two  or  three  minutes,  until  we  met  with  three 
heavy  seas,  which  rolled  in  upon  us  with  such  violence,  that 
one  of  the  logs  on  which  the  plata-piiia  was  stowed  broke,  and 
one  of  tlie  patacas  was  washed  overboard  and  entirely  lost, 
with  a  considerable  portion  of  our  sea-stores  ;  and  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  we  could  keep  the  whole  of  our  valuable 
cargo  from  washing  overboard ;  and  though  it  might  be  a 
severe  trial  to  lose  so  much  property,  still  I  felt,  at  the  mo- 
ment, that  it  was  nothing  in  comparison  to  the  loss  of  life  ;  for 
we  certainly  were  in  the  most  imminent  danger.  We  how- 
ever escaped  with  a  thorough  drenching,  and  felt  that  we  had 
been  providentially  preserved. 

After  we  got  through  the  surf,  the  sea  was  smooth,  and  we 
sailed  off  and  came  to  anchor  near  the  ship.  Captain  Hep- 
burn soon  came  to  our  assistance  with  the  ship's  boats,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  balsa  was  discharged,  and  every  thing 
taken  on  board.  The  pataca  that  was  lost  contained  255 
marks  of  plata-piiia. 

These  Indian  watermen  are  extremely  superstitious;  for 
while  in  our  perilous  situation  among  the  surf  and  rolling 
breakers,  they  spoke  not  a  word,  but  made  a  low  hissing 
sound,  and  kept  perfectly  still. 

I  will  not,  however,  judge  them  too  harshly  ;  perhaps  they 
were  addressing  the  Great  Spirit ;  for  although  men  may  wor- 
ship in  different  forms,  still  we  find  that  the  different  races  of 
the  earth  almost  all  acknowledge  a  Supreme  Being. 

After  getting  our  letters  and  bills  of  lading  ready,  which 
we  designed  to  leave  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Fanning,  I  dispatched 
the  balsa  on  shore ;    and  at  eight  o'clock  the  same  evening, 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  265 

August  12th,  we  got  under  way,  and  stood  out  to  sea,  bound 
to  Gibraltar,  with  a  fine,  fresh  southeast  trade.  We  had 
now  left  our  last  port  on  this  coast,  after  a  long  and  tedious 
period  of  more  than  eleven  months,  trading  up  and  down  on 
the  western  coast  of  Chili,  Peru,  and  Colombia.  I  arrived  at 
Chorillos  on  the  28th  of  August,  1825 ;  and  it  is  now  nearly 
twelve  months  that  we  have  been  in  this  country,  and  absent 
from  our  dear  native  land  nearly  sixteen.  I  feel  rejoiced  at 
the  idea  of  leaving  the  Southern  Hemisphere,  and  in  once 
more  pursuing  our  homeward  course,  although  we  have  still 
to  make  several  thousand  miles  to  the  southward  before  we 
can  steer  towards  our  beloved  country.  It  is,  nevertheless,  the 
commencement  of  a  homeward-bound  passage.  It  is  also 
true  we  have  to  double  stormy  Cape  Horn,  and  from  thence 
proceed  to  Europe ;  but  to  us,  who  have  been  so  long  absent, 
sailing  over  distant  seas,  the  delay  consequent  on  touching  at 
Gibraltar  on  our  way  home,  seems  but  a  mere  bagatelle ;  and 
the  moment  the  order  was  given  by  Captain  Hepburn  to  man 
the  windlass  and  loose  the  topsails,  to  get  under  way,  I  sliall 
never  forget  with  what  alacrity  the  officers  and  men  sprang  to 
their  duty  : — the  yards  flew  up  aloft  as  if  by  magic,  and  in  a 
few  moments  every  sail  was  spread  to  the  breeze ;  joy  was  de- 
picted on  every  countenance  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  every 
heart  was  swelling  with  gratitude,  while  dwelling  with  fond 
anticipation  on  a  joyful  meeting  with  a  father,  mother,  wife, 
sister,  brother,  or  some  near,  beloved  friend,  far  away  in  the 
"  land  of  the  brave  and  the  home  of  the  free."  There  is  some- 
thing connected  with  our  home  and  country  that  no  language 
can  precisely  define ;  though  the  feeling,  perhaps,  is  better 
expressed  in  the  following  lines  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  than  by 
any  thing  I  could  add  on  the  subject  : 

"  Breathes  there  a  man,  with  soul  so  dead, 
Wlio  never  to  Iiimself  hath  sakl, 
This  is  my  own,  my  nntive  land?" 

Those  who  do  not  understand  the  true  cluiracter  of  sea- 


266  VOYAGE   IN -THE   SHIP   GOVEKNOR   CLINTOX. 

men,  judge  from  their  rude  and  rough  exterior,  that  they  are 
callous  and  void  of  feeling.  Tliis  is  a  great  mistake.  Any 
one  thoroughly  acquainted  with  them  knows,  that  beneath  the 
often  assumed  bluntness  of  the  common  sailor,  there  frequently 
exists  a  fine  vein  of  sentimental,  unwritten  poetry.  I  have 
often  had  occasion  to  witness  the  generous  qualities  of  their 
noble  hearts,  when  they  are  fairly  dealt  with  and  justly 
treated.  They  are  faithful  and  constant  even  to  romance,  and 
will  follow  their  leader  to  death,  without  flinching. 

I  recollect  once  addressing  the  officers  and  crew  of  the 
schooner  David  Porter,  when  I  was  about  parting  with  them, 
off"  I'lle  Dieu,  that  many  of  them  were  melted  to  tears  ;  and  I 
have  generally  found,  that  when  I  appealed  to  their  grati- 
tude and  better  judgment,  they  were  easily  moved  to  a  sense 
of  duty. 

The  above  observations  I  wish  to  qualify,  and  of  course 
except  individual  instances  of  villany  and  ingratitude,  which 
exist  among  sailors  as  well  as  among  other  men. 

The  weather  was  fine  during  the  first  watch,  from  S  o'clock 
till  midnight,  and  no  one  felt  much  inclination  to  sleep.  On 
the  quarter-deck,  the  conversation  ran  on  the  length  of  time 
we  had  been  on  the  coast,  and  the  troubles  and  difficulties  we 
had  surmounted  ;  the  joy  we  all  felt  at  the  idea  of  getting 
once  more  clear  of  the  land  and  fairly  started  on  our  return 
homeward.  This  idea  was  so  exciting  that  we  felt  no  incli- 
nation to  sleep.  While  on  the  i^Drecastle  the  sailors  were  group- 
ed together  singing  appropriate  old  songs  in  fine  glee,  such  as, 

"  Come,  loose  every  sail  to  the  breeze, 
The  course  of  our  vessel  improve, 
I've  done  with  the  toils  of  the  seas, 
Yes,  sailors,  I'm  hound  to  my  love." 

During  the  night,  the  anticipated  joy  of  getting  home  ab- 
sorbed every  other  thought,  and  the  dread  of  doubling  Cape 
Horn  never  for  a  moment  entered  into  our  minds.     To  a  sea- 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOll   CLINTON.  267 

faring  man  there  is  something  dehghtful  in  a  well-organized 
and  well-regulated  ship's  company.  In  a  good  ship  where 
every  man  does  his  duty,  beginning  with  the  caplain,  every 
thing  goes  on  like  clock-work,  and  its  regularity  gives  a  feel- 
ing of  perfect  security,  that  is  only  appreciated  by  those  long 
accustomed  to  a  sea-life. 

The  weather  continued  fine  through  the  night,  and  we  made 
good  progress  to  the  southward  and  westward.  From  the  day 
of  our  sailing,  on  the  ]2ih  of  August,  to  the  23d  of  the  same 
month,  we  generally  had  regular  S.  E.  trades  and  fine,  pleas- 
ant weather,  always  standing  upon  the  same  tack,  laying  up 
S.  S.  W.  and  falling  ofi"  to  S.  W.,  making,  upon  an  average, 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
per  log  daily.  On  the  23d  of  August,  1826,  our  latitude  at 
noon,  was  26°  40'  south ;  and  our  longitude,  by  an  observation 
of  the  sun  and  moon,  95°  22'  west. 

After  getting  up  into  about  the  latitude  of  28°  south,  we 
lost  the  S.  E.  trades,  and  the  weather  gradually  became  cooler 
and  more  changeable.  For  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  days,  we 
have  been  sailing  alone  on  thp  wide  ocean.  We  saw  not  a 
sail,  neither  did  any  thing  occur  to  break  the  dull  monotony 

of  the  daily  routine  of  making  and  taking  in  sail.     Mr. , 

my  assistant  supercargo,  and  myself  have  been  employed  al- 
most daily  since  we  left  Lambayeque,  making  out  and  arrang- 
ing our  accounts,  and  fortunately  for  us  we  have  been  favored 
with  very  fine,  pleasant  weather  ;  but  as  we  increase  our  lati- 
tude, the  weather  is  daily  growing  more  and  more  cold  and 
boisterous,  so  that  on  the  1st  of  September,  we  gave  up 
writing  and  found  it  necessary  to  put  on  winter  clothing, 
and  take  a  great  deal  of  exercise  on  deck,  not  only  to 
promote  health  but  to  keep  warm,  as  we  had  no  fire  in 
the  cabin.  Our  captain  and  his  officers  and  crew  have 
been  occupied  for  several  days  past  getting  ready  to  buf- 
fet the  gales  and  storms  which  we  expect  to  encounter  olf 
Cape  Horn  ;  bending  new  sails,  reeving  new  ropes,  sending 
down  pole,  and  getting  up  stimip  top-gallant-masts,  lashing 
and  securing  every  thing  below  and  aloft,  and  from  time  to 


S%^ 


268  VOYAGE   IN"   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLIXTOX. 

time  exercising  and  drilling  the  crew  by  reefing  and  taking  in 
sail,  so  that  when  we  meet  the  violent  storms  and  tempests 
that  prevail  in  these  wild  regions,  we  shall  not  be  caught  by 
surprise.  Since  we  left  the  trade  winds,  we  have  been  favored 
with  strong  breezes  from  the  northward  and  westward,  and 
have  made  great  progress  on  our  course  ;  though  our  ship  is 
almost  full  of  cocoa,  bark,  and  other  articles  of  merchandise, 
and  is  rather  deeply  laden,  still  she  sails  fast  and  works  well, 
and  we  have  anexcellent  set  of  men,  all  active  and  willing  at 
all  times  to  do  their  duty.  On  Saturday,  September  9tli,  we 
were  in  latitude  58°  13'  south  ;  longitude,  by  an  observation  of 
the  sun  and  moon,  77°  53'  west.  At  noon  this  day,  we  were 
a  little  over  two  degrees  to  the  southward,  and  say  ten  and  a 
half  degrees  to  the  westward  of  Cape  Horn,  and  thus  far 
have  had  no  severe  gales  nor  any  remarkably  bad  weather, 
which  is  a  rare  circumstance  in  these  high  latitudes. 

A  degree  of  longitude  where  we  now  are,  is  only  about 
thirty  miles,  consequently  when  we  have  fresh  and  fair  gales, 
we  make  great  strides  on  the  chart,  so  that  on  Monday,  Sep- 
tember lllh,  we  had  fairly  doubled  Cape  Horn,  without  meet- 
ing with  the  smallest  accident.  For  once  in  my  life,  I  am  hap- 
py to  say,  I  have  passed  Cape  Horn  with  a  constant  succession 
of  fine  westerly  winds,  and  without  storm  or  tempest.  We 
stood  on  our  homeward-bound  course  to  the  northward  and 
eastward  with  favorable  gales  ;  and  without  seeing  land  or 
strand,  and  have  seen,  I  think,  but  two  sail  since  we  leftLam- 
bayeque. 

On  the  17th  of  September,  we  found  ourselves  at  noon,  in 
latitude  45°  12'  south ;  and  on  that  evening  at  7h.  44'  44",  by 
an  observation  of  the  moon  and  the  star  Aquila,  we  were  in 
longitude  45°  25'  west  of  Greenwich.  We  are  now  only  thir- 
ty-six days  out  from  Lambayeque,  and  have  proceeded  well 
on  our  passage  without  any  accident  or  mishap  to  mar  our 
bright  anticipations  of  a  short  and  agreeable  passage  to 
Gibraltar.  From  this  time  to  the  6th  of  October,  that  is^  to  say, 
for  a  period  of  eighteen  or  twenty  days,  we  occasionally  saw 


W»* 


VOYAGE   IN   TUE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON.  269 

a  sail  at  a  distance,  but  spoke  nothing.  Wc'gencially  had  favor- 
able winds,  and  no  severe  gales  to  contend  with.  Since  we  got 
down  into  lower  latitudes,  we  have  found  the  weather  fine  and 
pleasant.  Mr. and  myself  have  again  resumed  the  ar- 
rangement of  our  accounts,  namely,  making  out  account-sales, 
and  adjusting  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  sale  of  the  outward 
cargo,  and  to  the  purchase  of  the  cocoa,  etc.  etc. 

While  on  the  coast  of  Peru,  Chili,  and  Colombia,  we  kept 
a  sales  book  and  memorandums  of  all  the  articles  sold,  and 
to  whom  they  belonged,  also  of  all  charges  on  the  ship  and 
cargo  with  disbursements  of  every  kind,  letter  books,  and 
copies  of  every  letter  and  document  of  any  consequence 
during  the  whole  period  of  our  remaining  on  the  western 
coast  of  South  America ;  consequently  we  were  now  enabled, 
from  these  papers,  to  adjust  and  apportion  every  charge  and 
arrange  every  thing  in  the  true  spirit  of  justice  and  equity ; 
and  before  we  got  down  to  the  equinoctial  line,  the  whole 
labor  of  this  part  of  the  voyage  was  completed,  so  that  on 
our  return  every  paper  was  ready  to  hand  in  to  our  employ- 
ers. 

On  Friday,  Oct.  6th,  we  found  ourselves  in  latitude  26° 
12'  S.,  and  by  a  good  observation  of  the  sun  and  moon,  in 
longitude  23°  17'  6"  west  of  Greenwich.  We  are  now  steering 
to  the  Northward  with  a  fine  S.  E.  trade  wind  and  remark- 
ably agreeable  weather,  and  are  approaciiing  a  most  delightful 
region  of  the  earth.  I  believe  I  have  before  remarked  on  a 
former  voyage,  that  I  found  this  part  of  the  south  Atlantic  a 
charming  sea  to  navigate,  namely,  from  the  equator  to  as  high 
up  as  say  20°  to  25°  south.  ]n  these  latitudes  the  S.  E. 
trade  winds  generally  prevail  all  the  year,  with  beautiful 
clear  skies,  both  night  and  day.  The  air  is  so  perfectly  pure 
and  serene,  that  at  night  the  heavens  appear  more  thickly 
studded  with  stars  than  any  portion  of  the  earth  I  have  ever 
visited.  The  temperature  is  generally  about  70°  to  75° 
Fahrenheit's  Therm.,  which  is  neither  too  hot  nor  too  cold: 
even  the  birds  and  flying  fish  seem  to  enjoy  tliese  mild  seas 


270  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

and  clear  skies  ;  for  here  are  seen  innumerable  flocks,  both 
of  birds  and  fish,  sporting  about,  apparently  happy  in  both 
elements.  The  air  is  so  elastic  and  easy  to  respire,  that  I 
always  felt  refreshed  and  invigorated  by  inhaling  it,  and  men- 
tally exclaimed,  that  if  a  small  island  was  planted  and  peo- 
pled in  this  region,  its  inhabitants  would  never  die  except 
with  old  age.  I  say  a  small  island,  for  it  is  always  conced- 
ed that  small  sea  islands  are  more  healthy  than  large  ones, 
particularly  where  there  are  forests  and  stagnant  pools  to 
poison  the  atmosphere.  We  continued  to  sail  from  day  to' 
day  through  these  delightful  regions  with  all  sail  set  below 
and  aloft,  generally  making  from  180  to  220  miles  per  day, 
scarcely  changing  or  shifting  a  single  sail. 

On  Saturday,  Oct.  14th,  1S26,  our  latitude  at  noon  was 
18°  50'  south  ;  and  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  at  8h.  10' 
P.  M.  the  longitude,  by  an  observation  of  the  moon  and  the 
star  Antares,  was  23°  50'  west.  From  this  time  to  Oct.  19th, 
that  is,  for  five  days,  we  continued  to  have  the  same  winds 
with  a  continuation  of  fine  weather.  But  when  we  got  down 
near  the  Equinoctial  line,  the  winds  became  light  and  baffling, 
with  showers  of  rain  and  dark  cloudy  weather.  We  crossed 
the  line  in  about  the  longitude  of  26°  west,  and  on  Saturday 
Oct.  21st  at  noon  were,  by  observation,  in  latitude  3°  0'  north 
of  the  Equator,  At  9h.  3'  A.  M.,  by  a  good  observation  of  the 
sun  and  moon,  we  found  the  ship  in  longitude  28^  23'  0" 
west  of  Greenwich.  We  are  now  only  seventy  days  from 
Lambaycque  and  have  already  crossed  the  Equator  without 
losing  a  single  sail  or  spar;  and  thus  far  have  been  highly 
favored  with  fair  winds.  All  on  board  were  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  perfect  health. 

On  Monday,  Oct.  23d,  we  fell  in  with,  and  spoke  an 
English  ship  from  Singapore,  bound  to  London.  The  wind 
being  light,  and  the  weather  fine,  the  captain  of  the  English 
ship  politely  invited  our  captain,  myself,  and  my  assistant 
supercargo,  to  come  on  board  his  ship,  and  take  a  social  glass 
of  wine  whh  him  and   his  supercargo  ;  and,  as   both  ships 


VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  271 

were  steering  the  same  course,  we  accepted  his  friendly  invi- 
tation, and  repaired  forthwith  on  board,  without  further  cere- 
mony. We  exchanged  several  small  articles  with  these  polite 
gentlemanly  men,  thus  ;  we  supplied  them  with  cocoa,  and  re- 
ceived tea  and  other  little  articles  in  return.  They  also  present- 
ed us  with  several  English  and  East  India  newspapers.  Wc 
also  gave  them  some  North  American  and  Peruvian  papers, 
and,  notwithstanding  they  were  all  rather  old,  the  exchange 
was  agreeable  to  both  parties,  and  we  were  mutually  rejoiced 
to  meet  with  any  pleasant  incident  to  break  the  dull  monotony 
of  a  long  sea  voyage.  Those  unacquainted  with  long  pas- 
sages, cannot  realize  the  gratification  it  affords  to  see  a  strange 
face,  and  hear  the  news,  and  learn  what  is  going  on  in  the 
world,  after  having  been,  as  it  were,  shut  out  from  all  inter- 
course with  our  fellow-men  for  a  long  period  of  time. 

The  captain  of  the  English  ship  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
had  on  board  a  large  family  of  monkeys — I  should  judge  some 
twenty  or  thirty  in  number,  some  large  and  others  small. 
He  confined  them  in  cages  during  the  night,  and  when  the 
weatlier  was  fine,  he  allowed  them  to  run  loose  about  the 
decks.  It  was  very  amusing  to  see  these  animals  chase  each 
other  up  and  down  the  rigging,  and  in  their  merry  gambols 
cut  up  all  manner  of  monkey  tricks.  The  captain  and  super- 
cargo told  us  that  it  had  been  a  great  source  of  amusement  to 
tliem,  during  the  passage  to  see  these  mischievous  animals 
play  up  and  down  the  mast  and  rigging,  whenever  they  were 
favored  with  fine  weather. 

After  partaking  of  a  friendly  repast  and  some  excellent 
old  wine,  a  breeze  sprung  up,  and  we  took  our  leave  of  these 
polite  English  gentlemen,  and  repaired  on  board  our  ship, 
when  we  separated,  never  to  meet  again.  I  regret  that  this 
leaf  of  my  journal  is  so  mutilated,  that  1  can  neither  make  out 
the  name  of  the  ship,  nor  of  the  captain  and  supercargo. 

TiiesiUnj,  October  2\th. — At  noon,  we  were  in  latitude  8^ 
6'  north  of  the  Equator,  and,  by  a  good  observation  of  the  sun 
and  moon,  in  longitude  26°  40'  west  of  Greenwich. 


272  VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

We  continued  on  our  course  to  the  northward,  from  the 
24th  of  October  until  the  9th  of  November — a  space  of  sixteen 
days — without  meeting  with  any  incident  worlh  recording. 
On  tliis  day,  however,  November  9th,  when  nearly  in  the  lati- 
tude of  Madeira,  we  fell  in  with  and  boarded  the  hermaphrodite 
brig  Parmelia,  Captain  John  Jordan  (belonging  to  Boston). 
She  was  thirty  days  out  from  Marseilles,  bound  for  Philadel- 
phia, loaded  with  brimstone,  fruit,  etc.  Captain  Jordan  po- 
litely took  charge  of  all  the  letters  and  packages  we  wished  to 
send  home ;  and  as  we  had  now  got  all  our  account-sales  and 
other  important  papers  ready,  we  embraced  this  opportunity  to 
send  to  our  employers  a  copy  of  all  accounts  and  transactions 
up  to  this  date,  with  a  few  hasty  letters  to  our  friends.  These 
were  all  inclosed  in  two  packages,  and  directed  to  Messrs.  N. 
L.  &.  G.  Gris\^fold,  and  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  Esq.,  in  New- 
York.  I  subsequently  learned  that  these  letters  and  docu- 
ments all  arrived  safely.  We  were  now  in  latitude  32°  north, 
and  longitude  36°  west. 

After' this  we  pushed  on  towards  Gibraltar,  where  we 
arrived  on  the  27th  of  November,  1826,  after  a  pleasant  pas- 
sage of  107  days.  At  this  place  I  employed  Horatio  Sprague, 
Esq.,  to  assist  me  in  the  management  of  my  business.  I 
found  here  waiting  oin-  arrival  quite  a  number  of  letters  from 
my  owners,  and  several  from  my  family  and  friends. 

I  was  rejoiced  to  learn  that  my  fanrily  were  well,  and  very 
much  gratified  at  receiving  letters  from  my  emplo^'-ers,  approv- 
ing of  my  conduct  in  the  management  of  their  ship  and  cargo  ; 
they  also  kindly  assured  me  that  I  had  their  entire  confidence  ; 
and  after  quoting  prices  of  cocoa  and  bark  in  the  United  States, 
left  me  to  dcicide  whether  it  would  be  for  their  interest  to  dis- 
pose of  my  cargo  in  Gibraltar  and  Cadiz,  or  to  return  direct  to 
New- York  ;  ami  I  now  felt  that  these  kind  letters  from  my 
owners  more  tliiin  reccimpcnsed  me  for  all  the  care,  anxiety 
and  trouble  I  had  experienced  during  this  long  voyage.  I  be- 
lieve 1  have  ever  been  willing  to  exert  myself  to  my  uttermost 
capacity  for   promoting   the   interest  of  my  employers   and 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  273 

friends ;  and  when  this  is  accomphshed,  and  my  services  are 
appreciated,  I  feel  richly  rewarded. 

I  was  also  once  more  extremely  gratified  at  meeting  my 
old  and  worthy  friend,  Horatio  Sprague  ;  he  befriended  me  in 
the  hour  of  trial,  when  I  made  my  escape  from  Gibraltar, 
during  our  late  war  with  England,  in  1814. 

At  that  time  I  resided  at  his  house  in  Algesiras,  for  several 
weeks,  and  was  always  treated  by  Mr.  S.  and  his  family  like 
a  brother ;  and  now,  after  twelve  years  had  elapsed,  I  found 
him  the  same  kind,  benevolent  man  ;  and  I  think  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  one  more  worthy.  During  our  sojourn  in  this 
place,  I  dined  almost  daily  at  his  house,  and  spent  my  eve- 
nings in  the  society  of  his  estimable  wife  and  family,  where  I 
was  always  sure  of  meeting  the  best  and  most  intelligent  per- 
sons in  Gibraltar. 

In  the  midst  of  all  the  happiness  I  felt  at  getting  glad 
tidings  from  home,  and  the  pleasure  of  meeting  old  friends  in 
Gibraltar,  my  joy  was  suddenly  damped  by  an  unexpected  and 
sad  communication,  and  I  mentally  said,  there  is  certainly  no 
perfect  bliss  in  this  life.  Here  we  meet  with  light  and  dark- 
ness, sunshine  and  shade  ;  for,  among  my  other  letters,  there 
was  one  from  George  Griswold,  Esq.,  by  which  I  learned  that 
our  mutual  friend,  the  Rev.  S.  S.  Woodhull,  was  no  more.  He 
died  in  March,  IS^f),  of  typhus  fever,  after  ten  days'  illness, 
leaving  a  widow  and  five  children  to  mourn  their  irreparable 
loss,  of  a  good  husband  and  a  devoted  father. 

He  was  a  kind  friend  and  neighbor  for  many  years,  and  I 
was  deeply  grieved  at  the  news  of  his  death.  I  felt  that  an 
excellent  pastor  and  a  devout  and  useful  Christian  had  left  the 
world. 

The  Messrs.  Griswolds  sent  me  introductory  letters  to 
their  friends  and  correspondents  in  Cadiz,  viz.,  to  the  respectable 
house  of  Mrs.  Widow  Roberts  &•  Co.  of  that  place,  requesting 
me  to  write  them  on  the  subject  of  disposing  of  my  cargo  in 
that  city,  and  also  what  was  the  prospect  of  obtaining  a  freight 
18 


274  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

or  charter  for  the  Governor  Clinton  to  the  western  coast  of  Chili 
and  Peru. 

I  accordingly  wrote  as  directed  by  my  owners,  and  in  about 
a  week  received  a  polite  letter  from  that  House,  stating 
that  they  could  not  advise  me  to  proceed  to  Cadiz,  as  the 
market  was  low  and  dull  for  cocoa,  and  that  there  was  no  sale 
at  all  for  bark  ;  neither  was  there  any  prospect  of  obtaining  a 
charter  for  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  concluded  their  letter  by 
remarking  that  they  were  sorry  to  say  the  trade  to  their  city 
had,  in  a  measure,  disappeared. 

On  the  reception  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Sprague  and  myself 
strove  to  dispose  of  the  cargo  of  the  Governor  Clinton,  even 
upon  terms  of  gaining  only  a  moderate  freight  on  the  cocoa 
and  bark,  and  after  a  fair  trial  of  ten  days,  we  relinquished 
the  idea  of  selling  it,  and  concluded  lo  take  on  board  what 
light  freight  we  could  obtain,  and  got  ready  for  sea.  As  I 
have,  on  a  former  voyage,  when  brought  here  as  a  prisoner  in 
1814,  given  a  sketch  of  the  location  of  Gibraltar,  its  ample 
bay,  etc.,  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  say  any  more  on  this  subject. 
After  lying  here  fifteen  days,  we  took  leave  of  our  kind  friends 
on  the  12th  of  December,  and  sailed  out  of  the  bay,  bound  to 
New- York ;  we  ran  out  through  the  Straits  with  a  fine 
Levanter,  and  got  clear  of  the  land  the  next  day.  It  being 
now  in  the  depth  of  winter,  we  concluded  to  push  down  to 
the  southward,  and  run  to  the  westward  in  the  N.  E.  trade 
winds.  For  about  six  days  after  leaving  port,  we  were  favored 
with  fresh  and  fair  breezes,  so  that  in  a  week  we  passed  to  the 
westward  of  the  Canary  Islands,  and  although  \vc  soon  got  into 
the  N.  E.  trade  winds,  we  found  them  so  light  and  baffling,  that 
we  made  but  slow  progress  on  our  passage.  When  wc  had 
got  as  far  to  the  westward  as  longitude  68^,  we  hauled  to 
the  northward,  where  we  met  with  strong  N.  W.  gales,  and 
did  not  get  to  New- York  until  the  31st  January,  1827,  after  a 
long  and  disagreeable  passage  of  forty-nine  days,  and  from 
the  time  of  leaving  New- York,  until  we  returned  to  it  again, 
was  one  year  nine  months  and  fifteen  days.     Wc  were,  of 


VOYAGE   IN   THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR  CLINTON.  275 

course,  all  rejoiced  at  once  more  landing  on  our  dear  native  soil. 
The  joy  of  meeting  one's  family  and  friends  after  so  long  an 
absence,  is  more  easily  felt  than  described. 

The  winters  of  1826  and  1827  were  extremoly  cold.  At 
the  time  we  landed  all  the  rivers  were  frozen  up,  and  there 
was  much  floating  ice  in  the  bay  and  harbor  of  New- York, 
and  it  was  with  great  risk  and  difficulty  we  got  from  Sandy 
Hook  to  the  city  with  the  ship,  on  account  of  the  immense 
fields  of  floating  ice.  As  soon  as  she  was  secured  to  the 
wharf.  Captain  Hepburn  discharged  the  crew,  and  I  left  the 
owners  to  look  after  their  ship  and  cargo.  We  soon  settled 
our  accounts  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  concerned  in  the 

voyage.     Captain  Hepburn,  Mr. and  myself,  received  a 

warm-hearted  welcome  and  much  kind  hospitality  from  our 
employers. 

Captain  H.  soon  got  the  command  of  a  large  ship,  called 
the  Beaver,  in  the  Canton  trade,  and  sailed  on  the  14th  of 
February  for  that  place.  The  mate  of  the  Governor  Clinton 
was  promoted  to  the  command  of  that  ship,  and  soon  sailed 
on  a  freighting  voyage  to  Liverpool,  On  her  return  from  that 
port,  the  Messrs.  Gris wolds  again  fitted  her  out  for  the  Pacific, 
under  the  command  of  our  late  mate,  Mr.  L.  B.  Griswold,  and 
employed  my  young  friend,  Mr.  ,  as  supercargo,  to  per- 
form another  trading  voyage  to  the  western  coast  of  Chili  and 
Peru,  so  that  we  were  soon  separated,  probably  never  to  meet 
again  in  this  changeable  world. 

I  found  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  Esq.,  imiformly  hospitable, 
polite,  and  friendly,  and,  in  a  word,  a  perfect  gentleman. 

Subsequently  to  this  voyage,  I  owned  a  freighting  ship 
with  the  Messrs.  Griswolds,  and  had  many  business  transac- 
tions with  them,  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  I  enjoyed  the 
generous  hospitality  of  these  gentlemen.  I  have  ever  found 
them  strictly  honest,  just,  and  liberal;  and  during  our  long 
acquaintance,  nothing  ever  occurred  to  mar  our  friendly  re- 
lations. Theirs  is  a  house  of  long  standing,  and  belongs  to 
that  class  of  merchants  who  have  done  so  much  to  ciuich  and 
build  up  our  great  commercial  emporium. 


276  VOYAGE   IN  THE   SHIP   GOVERNOR   CLINTON. 

The  pataca  of  plata-piiia  lost  overboard  at  Lambayeque, 
belonged  to  me,  and  contained  ten  pieces  ;  it  weighed  two 
hundred  and  fifty-five  marks,  and  cost  eight  dollars  and  a  half 
per  mark,  which  together  with  some  other  trifling  shipping 
charges,  amounted  to  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  dollars. 

This  property  was  insured  in  the  American  and  Union  In- 
surance Companies  in  this  city ;  and  when  I  presented  my 
claim  for  indemnity,  they  refused  to  pay  it,  alleging  that  they 
were  not  liable  for  accidents  in  boats  and  lighters,  but  only  for 
property  on  board  of  the  ship ;  and  after  waiting  a  reasonable 
time  for  the  amount  of  my  loss,  I  employed  Messrs,  Strong  & 
Gnlfin,  as  advocates,  to  prosecute  the  suit  in  law.  After  a  de- 
lay of  two  years  and  four  months,  I  gained  the  cause,  and 
recovered  the  money,  with  seven  per  cent,  interest. 

This  was  an  important  decision  in  maritime  law,  and 
clearly  determined  the  principle,  that  underwriters  are  liable 
for  all  losses  from  boats  and  lighters  on  trading  voyages,  even 
when  not  expressed  in  the  policies  ;  and  in  my  opinion  it  was 
a  most  righteous  decision,  otherwise  there  would  be  no  safety 
in  trading  to  many  parts  of  the  world,  where  boats  and  balsas 
are  indispensable. 


1 


CHAPTER  XXL 


FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BKIG  BRILLIANT,  FROM  NEW-YORK  TO  THE 
ISLE  OF  MAY,  AND  RIO  DE  JANEIRO,  AND  FROM  THENCE  TO 
NEW-ORLEANS  AND  BOSTON,  IN  THE  YEARS  1837  AND  1838. 

Before  commencing  this  voyage,  I  will  make  a  few  prelimi- 
nary remarks. 

In  the  year  1833,  I  had,  by  persevering  industry  and 
economy,  acquired  sufficient  property  to  retire  from  active 
pursuits.  I  accordinly  repaired  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
with  my  family,  where  I  resolved  to  spend  the  down-hill  of 
life  in  quiet  repose ;  but  scarcely  had  I  lived  in  that  city 
two  years,  before  the  great  conflagration  occurred  in  New- 
York,  on  the  16tli  of  December,  1835.  This  great  fire  spread 
over  an  area  of  fifteen  or  eighteen  acres  of  ground,  and  de- 
stroyed, as  was  estimated  at  the  time,  about  eighteen  or  twenty 
millions  of  dollars.  It  ruined  nearly  all  the  fire-insurance 
companies  in  the  city,  and  seriously  involved  very  many  indi- 
viduals ;  among  others,  I  also  sutfered  severely.  I  was  a 
stockholder  to  a  considerable  amount  in  five  different  fire  com- 
panies, and  lost  nearly  all  my  stock,  to  the  amount  of  $15,000, 
which  was  to  mo  a  sad  calamity — being  the  fruit  of  many  long 
years  of  hard  toil  ;  this  misfortune,  with  others,  the  deprecia- 
tion of  property,  bad  debts,  etc.,  augmented  my  losses  to  about 
twenty  thousand  dollars.  This  was  a  great  crisis  in  my  life, 
and  led  me  seriously  to  reflect  on  my  pecuniary  situation,  and 
I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  either  to  retire  into  the  country, 


278  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BEIG  BRILLIANT. 

namely,  into  some  one  of  the  Western  States,  where  1  could 
live  on  a  small  income,  or  go  to  sea  again,  and  labor  in  my 
vocation  ;  and  thus,  after  consulting  with  a  few  friends  on  the 
subject,  finally  concluded  to  rely  upon  my  own  resources,  and 
once  more  try  my  fortune  on  the  broad  ocean.  I  accordingly 
purchased  a  low-priced  brig,  called  the  Brilliant ;  this  vessel 
was  245  tons,  and  although  old,  proved  to  be  a  good  sea-boat. 
At  this  period  there  was  great  commercial  distress  throughout 
the  United  States,  and  business  generally  at  a  very  low  ebb  ; 
there  were  no  freights  to  be  had ;  and  in  consequence  of  the 
great  number  of  failures  among  business  men,  it  was  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  obtain  credit  abroad.  The  large  and  rich 
houses  with  whom  I  had  been  for  many  years  connected,  did 
not  wish  at  this  time  to  enter  upon  foreign  voyages  ;  so  that  I 
was,  in  fact,  thrown  upon  my  own  resources.  I  therefore  re- 
solved to  go  upon  my  own  hook,  and  try  what  I  could  do 
abroad  on  a  small  scale.  With  this  view,  I  ballasted  the 
Brilliant  with  stone,  and  resolved  to  proceed  to  the  Isle  of  May, 
for  a  cargo  of  salt  for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  there  be  governed  by 
circumstances  with  respect  to  my  future  operations. 

After  my  vessel  was  ballasted,  I  purchased  nine  bales  of 
brown  domestic  cotton  shirtings,  containing  seven  thousand 
yards,  at  six  and  a  quarter  cents.  These  cottons,  with  sundry 
other  trifling  articles,  amounted  to  about  five  hundred  dollars. 
I  also  laid  in  sufficient  bread  and  salt  provisions  for  a  five 
months'  voyage. 

Money  stocks  were  at  this  period  low  and  dull ;  and  in 
order  not  to  sacrifice  them,  I  obtained  a  loan  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  eight  months,  and  pledged  my  stocks  as  collateral 
security.  AVith  this  money,  I  purchased  doubloons  for  nearly 
the  ;jjijj|ple  amount,  to  take  with  me,  as  a  small  capital  to  trade 
upon. 

At  this  time,  my  eldest  and  only  daughter,  Sarah  Meheta- 
ble,  was  about  five  years  old,  and  being  a  feeble  child,  I  resolv- 
ed, with  the  consent  of  her  mother,  to  take  her  along  with 
me ;  hoping  a  sea-voyage  would  restore  her  to  health. 


FIRST  voyagp:  in  the  brig  brilliant.  279 

I  thou  shipped  Mr,  George  Brock,  as  cliief  mate  ;  I  had 
also  a  second  iiuite,  six  men  and  a  cook,  wliich  comprised  the 
entire  crew  of  the  Brilliant. 

We  left  New- York,  on  the  5th  of  December,  with  a  fine  N. 
W.  wind,  and  at  noon  discharged  the  pilot,  when  Sandy  Hook 
bore  west  six  miles  distant. 

During  the  afternoon  we  continued  to  have  pleasant  breezes 
from  the  westward,  with  fine  weather.  Towards  eve- 
ning my  little  daughter  inquired  whether  it  was  not  time  to 
return  home  again  to  see  her  mother,  being  under  the  impres- 
sion that  we  were  only  making  a  little  excursion  for  tlie  day, 
and  that  wc  should  return  home  at  night.  I  told  her  we  were 
going  a  great  way  from  home,  and  that  after  seeing  other  coun- 
tries, and  getting  a  great  many  pretty  things,  and  plenty  of 
oranges  to  bring  back  to  her  mother,  we  should  return.  This 
answer  seemed  to  satisfy  her  for  the  moment ;  still  she  often 
inquired  why  her  mother  did  not  come  along  with  us,  and 
asked  many  other  childlike  questions. 

At  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  I  put  her  to  bed  in  my  berth, 
when  she  soon  dropped  to  sleep  (as  I  expected  for  the  night). 
It  being  my  first  watch  on  deck  from  8  o'clo^^k  to  midnight,  at 
10  I  went  below  to  look  after  the  child  ;  I  found  her  sitting  up. 
She  said  she  could  not  sleep  without  her  fither  in  this  strange 
place,  so  unlike  her  own  home.  To  soothe  and  quiet  her,  I 
laid  down  beside  her ;  she  soon  fell  asleep,  and  did  not  awake 
until  7  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

The  wind  for  the  first  two  days  continued  moderate  from 
the  westward,  with  fine  weather ;  and  as  the  brig  was  in  light 
ballast  trim,  she  ran  off  before  the  wind  with  great  rapidity. 
On  the  third  day  out,  December  8th,  it  increased  to  a  fresh 
gale,  always  blowing  from  AV.  to  N.  W.,  with  oprn,  ^IJaudy 
weather.  The  Brilliant  thus  far  proves  to  be  a  good  vessel, 
strong,  stanch,  and  tight ;  and  off  the  wind,  sails  very  fast  for 
one  of  her  class.  We  this  day  made  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  miles  log  distance,  and  were  at  meridian  in  latitude  by 
observation^  36°  53'  north  ;  and  longitude  by  the  chronometer, 
66°  24'  west  of  London. 


280  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

From  the  Sth  to  the  25th  of  December,  say  for  a  period  of 
seventeen  days,  we  had  continuous  gales  from  the  westward, 
always  blowing  strong,  with  a  high  sea  driving  us  along  ;  but 
as  the  brig  was  light,  we  ran  off  with  great  speed  before  these 
violent  gales,  without  shipping  a  sea  or  scarcely  taking  a  drop 
of  water  on  deck,  and  generally  averaged  about  two  hundred 
miles  per  day. 

My  little  daughter  had  now  become  so  accustomed  to  the 
sea  that  she  felt  quite  at  home,  and  was  contented  and  happy 
when  the  sea  was  smooth  enough  for  her  to  play  about  the 
quarter-deck.  And  when  the  brig  had  too  much  motion  for 
her  to  stand  up  and  play,  I  secured  her  in  a  little  place  built 
for  the  purpose  in  the  companion-way,  where  she  could  see  the 
water,  study  her  daily  lessons,  and  amuse  herself  looking  at 
pictures  in  sundry  small  books  provided  for  her  before  leaving 
New- York  ;  in  this  way  she  passed  her  time  pleasantly,  and 
gave  no  trouble. 

She  was  the  only  female  on  board,  and  soon  became  a 
great  pet  with  my  officers,  and  was  a  source  of  pleasure  and 
amusement  to  me. 

On  the  2Gth  of  December,  we  were  far  enough  to  the  east- 
ward, and  had  now  got  fairly  into  the  N.  E.  trade-winds,  and 
here  we  of  course  found  gentle  breezes,  and  clear,  pleasant 
weather.  At  noon  this  day,  oiu-  latitude  by  observation  was 
18°  37'  north  ;  and  the  longitude  by  the  chronometer,  22°  50' 
west.  I  accordingly  shaped  my  course  for  the  Isle  of  Sol,  or 
Salt  Island,  and  steered  south  to  make  it. 

We  had  fresh  trades  during  the  night,  and  fine  weather  ; 
at  midnight  we  took  in  studding-sails,  shortened  sail,  and  kept 
a  sharp  look-out  for  the  land.  At  4  o'clock  A.  M.  we  made  the 
Isjg^gLSol  ahead,  bearing  S.  S.  W.,  twelve  or  fourteen  miles 
distant;  we  then  hauled  upon  the  wind  under  easy  sail  until 
G  A.  M.,  daylight,  when  we  again  made  sail  and  steered  to- 
wards the  land.  This  island  is  one  of  the  group  of  the  Cape 
de  Verds  ;  the  body  or  centre  of  it  lies  in  latitude  16°  40'  north, 
longitude  22°  53'  west. 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN   THE  BKIG  BRILLIANT.  281 

We  had  thus  matlo  onr  passage  from  Sandy  Hook  to  tliis 
place  in  twenty-one  days,  and  without  meeting  with  the  shglit- 
est  accident.  We  steered  down  the  west  side  of  this  island, 
keeping  about  eight  or  ten  miles  off  shore,  and  at  noon,  by  a 
good  observation,  we  were  in  latitude  1G°  18'  north  ;  longitude 
about  23°  14'  west.  Sol  or  Salt  Island  is  pretty  high,  and  may 
be  seen  in  clear  weather  at  fifty  miles  distance.  It  is  about 
twenty  miles  long  and  eight  or  ten  broad  ;  the  harbor  lies  on 
the  west  side  of  the  island.  It  is,  I  believe,  seldom  visited,  ex- 
cept by  those  who  go  there  to  purchase  salt,  which  I  am  told 
is  here  abundant  and  cheap. 

We  had  fine  fresh  breezes  at  N.  E.  during  the  day,  with 
clear  pleasant  weather.  In  the  afternoon  we  passed  in  sight 
of  the  Island  of  Bonavista,  another  of  this  group.  This  island 
lies  about  twenty  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  Isle  of  Sol, 
and  is  larger  and  more  productive. 

We  steered  down  to  the  southward  towards  the  Isle  of 
May  until  S  o'clock  in  the  evening ;  it  being  too  late  to  enter 
the  harbor  during  daylight,  we  accordingly  shortened  sail,  and 
the  next  morning  at  9  o'clock,  December  the  28th,  came  to 
anchor  in  a  little  bay  in  seven  fathoms  of  water,  opposite  the 
town,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore,  twenty-two  days  from 
New- York.  In  a  few  minutes  after  we  came  to  anchor  several 
boats  came  alongside,  to  offer  their  services  and  solicit  my 
business.  I  soon  repaired  on  shore,  and  employed  the  Gov- 
ernor, Don  Antonia  Cardozo  de  Mello,  to  assist  me  in  disposing 
of  what  few  articles  I  had  for  sale,  and  to  procure  a  cargo  of 
salt.  Don  A.  C.  M.  was  a  mulatto  gentleman,  and  besides  being 
the  Governor  of  the  island,  was  also  a  pretty  good  merchant, 
and  a  man  of  considerable  property.  With  him  I  soon  made 
a  bargain  that  he  should  take  all  my  cotton  shirting  at  fourteen 
cents  per  yard,  payable  in  salt,  at  six  dollars  the  moyo,  which 
is  at  the  rate  of  ten  cents  the  bushel  ;  and  for  the  other  little 
articles  I  received  a  corresponding  profit,  so  that  when  I  left 
the  island  with  a  full  cargo  of  salt,  say  8,500  bushels,  I  re- 
ceived some  forty  or  fifty  dollars  in  silver  money,  besides  pay- 


282  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

ing  the  port  charges  and  other  expenses"  during  my  stay  here. 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  my  arrival  we  commenced  dis- 
charging our  ballast,  and  the  next  day  began  taking  in  salt, 
which  is  piled  up  in  immense  heaps  all  about  the  town.  It  is 
measured,  put  into  small  bags,  and  carried  on  asses,  and  deli- 
vered on  a  flat  cliff"  of  rocks  at  the  water  side,  at  the  expense 
of  the  seller.  From  the  top  of  this  rock  it  is  lowered  or  slid 
into  boats,  and  taken  on  board  at  the  purchaser's  expense. 
The  whole  of  the  community,  or  at  least  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town,  own  a  portion  of  these  heaps,  and  although  but  few 
agents  are  appointed  to  dispose  of  it,  still  they  are  bound  to 
account  to  the  numerous  owners,  and  are  obligated  when  a 
cargo  of  salt  is  sold,  to  pay  each  individual  the  amount  of  his 
interest  in  each  heap.  All  the  salt  on  this  island  is  made  in 
one  large  pond,  which  is  located  about  a  mile  from  the  town, 
near  the  sand  beach.  I  should  think  it  was  about  two  miles 
long  and  one  broad.  I  am  told  it  is  made  by  opening  a  sluice 
or  passage  through  a  sand-bank  to  the  sea  at  a  certain  time 
of  the  year,  probably  in  the  rainy  season,  and  after  the  pond  is 
filled  with  salt  water,  the  passage  is  closed  up,  and  it  is  then 
left  to  the  powerful  action  of  the  sun,  which  in  the  summer  is 
so  intense,  that  all  the  fresh  water  in  the  pond  soon  evaporates, 
and  the  whole  sheet  becomes  pure  brine.  It  soon  crystallizes 
on  the  surface,  and  then  settles  at  the  bottom.  On  a  given  day 
appointed  by  the  government,  the  whole  community  com- 
mence raking  and  picking  the  salt  from  the  pond,  generally  in 
boats  ;  some  rake  it  upon  the  shore  ;  others  wade  and  collect 
it  in  baskets  :  each  person  or  family  keep  theirs  separate,  until 
it  is  transported  by  jackasses  to  the  town,  there  measured  and 
deposited  in  large  heaps.  A  person  is  employed  by  the  public 
authorities  to  receive  and  measure  each  one's  salt,  and  register 
the  amount  in  a  book  kept  fort  hat  purpose  ;  so  that  almost 
every  person  on  the  island  is  interested  in  these  heaps,  which  are 
often  very  large ;  some  of  them  may  perhaps  contain  70  or 
80,000  bushels.  These  large  heaps  are  generally  made  in 
the  shape  of  a  sugar-loaf,  very  broad  at  the  base,  and  so  placed 


FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  283 

that  the  water  will  run  off  and  not  lodge  near  the  foundation. 
A  heap  made  in  this  way  soon  forms  a  smooth  crust  on  the 
surface,  and  will  turn  the  rain  without  melting,  and  may  be 
preserved  in  this  way  for  years.  The  appearance  of  these 
immense  heaps  is  of  a  dusky  brown  color,  owing  to  the  brown 
sand  and  dust  being  blown  by  the  wind  and  lodged  on  the  ex- 
terior surface  ;  this  tint,  however,  is  extremely  thin,  and  when 
the  iieap  is  opened  the  whole  mass  is  generally  coarse  white 
rock  salt. 

I  hired  a  large  launch  of  the  Governor,  and  with  my  own 
long-boat  managed  to  take  on  board  from  six  to  eight  hundred 
bushels  per  day.  The  mode  of  shipping  it  here  is  as  follows  : 
a  kedge  anchor,  with  one  end  of  a  hawser  attached  to  it,  is 
dropped  at  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  fathoms  from  the  shore, 
and  the  other  end  is  taken  to  the  table  laud  on  a  cliff  some 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  high,  and  placed  over  the  crotch  of  a  pair 
of  shears,  erected  for  that  purpose,  sufficiently  high  to  be  out 
of  the  way  of  the  heads  of  the  workmen  ;  a  tackle  is  then 
made  fast  to  the  other  end  of  the  hawser  and  attached  to  the 
rocks  at  some  distance  from  the  platform,  and  then  hauled 
taut ;  the  boats  are  secured  to  the  hawser  near  the  water  with 
their  heads  off  shore.  When  thus  prepared,  the  bags  are 
placed  in  straps  or  selvedges  made  for  the  purpose,  and  with  a 
travelling  becket  they  are  slid  rapidly  down  the  hawser  into 
the  boats.  In  this  way  a  boat  is  soon  loaded  when  the 
weather  is  fine  and  the  water  smooth  in  the  bay,  but  when  the 
sea  is  rough  and  there  is  much  siuf  on,  it  is  very  difficult  and 
even  dangerous  to  send  it  on  board.  On  the  top  of  the  cliff 
there  is  a  large  flat,  open  space,  perhaps  two  hundred  feet 
square,  which  affords  sufficient  room  for  four  or  five  ships  to 
take  in  salt  at  the  same  time,  but  not  more.  Each  captain 
furnishes  his  own  boats,  kedge,  hawser,  shears,  and  all  the 
ropes  and  tackles  that  may  be  necessary,  and  prepares  every 
thing  with  his  own  officers  and  crew,  and  when  his  ship  is 
loaded,  the  whole  is  removed  to  make  room  for  another.  I 
was  told  there  are  generally  here  from  five  to  eight  ships  and 


284  FIEST  VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT. 

vessels  at  a  time  to  purchase  salt.  I  lay  here  twelve  days, 
and  during  that  period  there  were,  I  think,  eight  brigs  and 
schooners  loaded,  and  thus  they  were  daily  coming  and  going; 
and  from  the  magnitude  of  the  heaps  left  in  the  town,  I  should 
think  there  was  enough  to  load  a  very  large  number  of  ships, 
even  if  they  should  pick  no  more  for  a  year.  But  as  these  poor 
people  have  no  other  employment,  they  will  probably  go  on 
picking  and  selling  salt  as  their  fathers  have  done,  perhaps  for 
ages  yet  to  come. 

The  American  consul  here  was  a  Portuguese,  a  native  of 
Lisbon  ;  he  had  lived  for  some  years  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and 
was  a  gentleman  of  some  education  and  intelligence.  I  found 
him  hospitable  and  polite.  He  had  a  daughter  about  the  age 
of  my  child,  and  kindly  invited  myself  and  little  daughter  to 
his  house. 

I  found  the  Governor  a  plain,  honest  man,  and  always 
kind  and  hospitable.  There  were  two  or  three  other  mer- 
chants here,  one  of  whom  was  quite  black ;  he  was,  perhaps, 
the  richest  person  on  the  island,  and  lived  in  good  style.  I 
dined  with  him  on  one  occasion  during  my  stay  here,  when  in 
the  course  of  conversation  he  said  that  he  had  several  corres- 
spondents  in  England,  and  also  in  the  United  States ;  and 
observed  to  me  that  he  often  had  serious  thoughts  of  visiting 
the  States,  but  that  a  damper  was  thrown  on  this  desire  when 
he  was  told  that  black  and  colored  people  were  not  nuich 
respected  there  ;  I  evaded  the  subject  as  much  as  possible,  and 
merely  remarked  that  there  certainly  was  a  prejudice  against 
colored  persons  in  the  United  States,  still  there  were  those  who 
respected  virtuous  and  intelligent  people  of  all  colors.  On 
this  island,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  there  was  no  preference  or 
distinction  on  that  account ;  white,  black,  and  all  the  interme- 
diate sliades  were  respected  alike,  bating  the  difference  of 
wealth,  talents  and  education. 

The  Cape  de  Vcrd  Islands  are  too  well  known  to  the 
world  to  need  any  description  from  me,  still  I  will  make  a  few 
general    remarks    on   the  subject,  and  commence   with   this 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  I3RILLIANT.  285 

island.  The  Isle  of  May  lies  in  latitude  15°  6'  north,  longi- 
tude 23°  5'  west.  It  is  about  10  miles  long  and  as  many 
broad,  or  in  other  words  it  is  nearly  round.  It  is  of  a  moder- 
ate height ;  the  harbor  is  situated  in  a  little  bay,  on  the  S. 
W.  side  of  the  island,  and  may,  with  more  propriety,  be  call- 
ed a  port  than  a  secure  harbor.  The  anchorage  in  this  little 
bay  is  opposite  the  town,  in  from  7  to  12  fathoms  of  water, 
and  from  a  half  to  three  quarters  of  a  mile  distant  from  the 
shore.  The  town  lies  along  the  bay,  and  is  composed  of  one 
church  and  some  70  or  SO  dwelling  houses,  which  are  gener- 
ally of  a  moderate  size,  and  are  built  of  stone.  Some  of  them, 
however,  which  are  occupied  by  the  poorer  classes,  are  small 
and  uncomfortable  ;  these  are  built  of  mud,  without  floors,  and 
appear  mean  and  dirty. 

The  whole  number  of  inhabitants  on  the  island  is  about 
1,300,  of  all  colors  ;  nine  tenths  of  them  are  poor,  and  the 
others  only  comparatively  rich — perhaps  there  are  not  six 
men  on  the  island  worth  $20,000  each,  and  but  two  individu- 
als worth  over  that  sum.  They  are  a  simple,  ignorant  people, 
and  are  sadly  imposed  upon  and  deceived  by  those  who  come 
here  to  trade  with  them.  They  have  but  little  of  any  thing  to 
sell  except  salt  ;  they  raise  a  little  Indian  corn,  and  a  few 
sweet  potatoes  and  melons,  and  also  sell  some  poultry  and  a 
few  eggs.  Fish  is  abundant  and  cheap,  and  may  be  caught 
without  difliculty  all  around  the  island. 

There  are  but  few  trees,  and  the  land  appears  burnt  and 
parched  up  with  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun ;  the  weather  is 
almost  always  clear  at  this  season  of  the  year.  The  few 
clouds  that  one  sees  in  the  heavens,  are  as  white  as  snow,  and 
the  sun  is  so  bright  and  powerful  as  almost  to  blind  the  eyes 
of  a  stranger;  and  to  sum  up  the  whole  in  one  word,  I  should 
think  it  a  very  uncomfortable  place  for  a  permanent  resi- 
dence. 

The  Cape  de  Verd  Islands  are  ten  in  number,  large  and 
small,  and  their  names  are  as  follows :  St.  Anthony,  St.  Vin- 
cent, St.  Lucia,  St.  Nicholas,  Salt  Island,  Bonavista,  Isle  of 


286  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT. 

May,  St.  Jago,  P'ogo  and  Brava.  They  are  all  owned  by 
Portugal,  and  nominally  owe  allegiance  to  that  nation,  and 
whenever  the  mother  country  can  reap  any  benefit  from  them, 
it  is  ready  to  do  so.  They  appoint  governors  and  tax-gather- 
ers where  there  is  any  thing  to  be  gained ;  they  neglect  the 
small,  poor  islands,  and  whenever  any  of  them  suffer  by 
drought  and  famine  they  are  left  to  starve,  or  to  look  to  other 
countries  for  support  and  assistance.  This  certainly  is  a  dark 
picture  of  their  treatment  by  the  mother  country,  but  from  the 
best  information  I  can  obtain,  it  is  nevertheless  strictly  true. 
Three  or  four  of  the  largest  of  this  group  are  of  some  import- 
ance to  the  world  in  a  commercial  point  of  view.  Besides 
the  salt  produced  at  the  Isles  of  May,  Sol,  and  Bonavista, 
St.  Jago  and  St.  Nicholas  produce  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats  in 
great  numbers ;  independently  of  the  large  supplies  taken 
from  these  islands  by  the  men-of-war  and  whalemen  of  the 
different  nations  of  Europe  and  America,  many  cattle,  sheep, 
and  swine  are  shipped  from  these  islands  to  the  West  Indies. 
Porco  Praya,  on  the  south  side  of  St.  Jago,  is  the  largest  and 
best  harbor  m  the  whole  group:  this  is  a  great  stopping 
place  for  men-of-war  and  whale  ships,  and  here  they  obtain 
water  and  fiesh  provisions  in  great  abundance,  and  generally 
at  very  reasonable  prices.  This  is  a  large  high  island,  and 
lies  only  12  miles  from  the  Isle  of  Ma}'-,  and  contains  about 
20,000  inhabitants.  It  produces  almost  all  the  necessaries  of 
life,  and  is  probably  the  most  important  of  the  ten.  The  Isle 
of  May  lies  about  west  from  Cape  Vcrd,  on  the  coast  of 
Senegal,  Africa,  say  320  miles  distant.  During  my  stay  here 
a  small  English  cutler  arrived  in  ballast  at  this  port,  three 
days  from  Gambia,  for  a  cargo  of  salt.  The^ captain  of  this 
cutter  was  a  polite,  gentlemanly  man,  and  kindly  presented 
my  little  daughter  with  a  dozen  fine  oranges  brought  from 
Africa.  Every  person  on  board  his  vessel  was  black,  except 
himself ;  he  was  a  native  of  London,  and  had  made  a  great 
man)''  voyages  in  the  same  vessel  between  that  place  and 
Gambia. 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  287 

The  Cape  de  Verd  Islands  often  suffer  from  drought,  par- 
ticularly the  small  ones,  where  there  are  but  few  trees.  Dar- 
ing my  stay  here,  for  a  period  of  twelve  days,  I  was  kindly 
treated  by  all  classes  of  people,  and  found  the  Governor,  my 
consignee,  an  honest,  good  man  ;  from  him  and  the  American 
consul,  Don  L.  A.  Arango,  I  received  much  friendly  hospitali- 
ty. I  was  also  indebted  to  Don  S.  A.  Evora  for  many  civili- 
ties ;  he  was  a  colored  man,  and  one  of  the  principal  mer- 
chants. 

After  loading  the  Brilliant,  and  settling  all  my  business  at 
this  place,  we  left  it,  on  the  9th  of  January,  1838,  at  6  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  bound  for  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

From  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun,  the  upper  works  of  the 
Brilliant  became  very  open,  and  after  she  was  deeply  loaded 
with  salt,  she  made  a  great  deal  of  water.  She  leaked  so 
much  the  first  week  out,  that  it  was  very  painful  to  see  the 
poor  sailors  labor  so  hard  at  the  pumps  to  keep  her  free. 

I  steered  to  the  southward  for  nine  days  after  leaving  the 
Isle  of  May,  with  light  N.  E.  trade  winds,  averaging  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  miles  distance  per  day,  and  on  the  18th  of  Jan- 
uary crossed  the  Equator,  in  27°  53'  west  longitude.  After 
crossing  the  line  we  had  light,  baffling  winds,  with  a  strong 
westerly  current  setting  us  to  leeward  about  one  mile  the  hour 
for  several  days,  so  that  I  began  to  fear  that  I  should  not  be 
able  to  weather  the  Island  of  Ferdinand  de  Noronha.  This 
island  is  a  sort  of  Botany  Bay  for  Brazil ;  to  this  place  they 
transport  their  convicts.  It  lies  in  latitude  3°  55'  south,  longi- 
tude 32°  35'  west.  Fortunately  for  us,  on  January  20th,  the 
wind  favored,  and  on  Sunday,  the  next  day,  at  noon,  we  found 
ourselves  in  latitude  4°  9'  south,  so  that  we  have  now  passed 
about  sixty  or  seventy  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Ferdinand  de 
Noronha,  and  have  a  fine  fresh  S.  E.  trade- wind,  with  clear, 
pleasant  weather,  and  from  this  period  to  the  2d  of  February, 
we  continued  to  have  fresh  S.  E.  trades,  and  met  with  nothing 
remarkable  after  leaving  the  latitud^of  the  Island  of  Ferdi- 
nand de  Noronha,  until  we  arrived  at  l^io  de  Janeiro.     We 


288  FIKST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT. 

averaged  129  miles  log  distance  per  day,  and  had  a  continua- 
tion of  fine  weather.  We  arrived  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  on  the  2d 
of  February,  22  days  from  the  Isle  of  May,  and  22  days  from 
New- York  to  that  island,  making  the  whole  passage  out  to  Rio 
44  days. 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  February  3d. — My  vessel  was  visited  this 
morning  by  the  custom-house  boat,  and  permission  given  me 
to  land.  I  accordingly  went  on  shore,  and  delivered  several 
introductory  letters  to  sundry  merchants,  and  conversed  with 
several  of  my  countrymen  residing  at  this  place.  After  ob- 
taining the  necessary  information  on  the  subject,  I  decided  to 
employ  the  house  of  Messrs.  Maxwell,  Wright  &.  Co.,  to  assist 
me  in  my  business.  After  all  the  preliminaries  were  settled, 
my  brig  was  removed  into  the  inner  harbor,  and  every  prepa- 
ration made  to  discharge.  It  would  be  a  waste  of  time  and  pa- 
tience to  enter  into  all  the  details  of  selling  a  small  cargo  of 
salt  and  noting  its  delivery ;  suffice  then  to  say,  that  in  a  few 
days  after  my  arrival,  my  consignees,  Messrs.  Maxwell, 
Wright  &  Co.,  sold  my  cargo,  at  580  reis  the  alquair,  and 
agreed  that  it  should  all  be  received  in  20  days.  The  agree- 
ment with  respect  to  the  sale  and  purchase  was  complied  with, 
and  eventually  settled  to  the  mutual  satisfaction  of  all  parties 
concerned. 

While  we  were  discharging,  I  endeavored  to  procure  a 
freight  for  the  Brilliant,  either  to  Europe  or  the  United  States, 
but  in  this  desire  I  did  not  succeed,  and  after  lying  several 
days  waiting  a  favorable  change,  I  decided  to  ballast  the  brig 
with  stone,  purchase  all  the  coffee  I  could  with  the  small 
amount  of  funds  I  possessed  (this,  it  will  be  recollected, 
consisted  in  the  doubloons  I  brought  with  me  from  New-York 
and  the  avails  of  my  salt,)  and  proceed  as  soon  as  possible  to 
New  Orleans,  and  try  my  fortune  at  that  place.  My  cargo 
measured  8,500  bushels,  and  paid  a  net  freight  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars.  After  paying  all  my  port  charges,  disbursements, 
commissions,  money  advanced  to  the  crew,  etc.,  I  had  only 
enough  to  purchase  770  bags  of  coffee  ;  each  bag  weighed  IGO 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  289 

pounds  net,  and  cost  on  board  eight  and  a  quarter  cents  per 
pound.  The  wliole  invoice  amounted  to  $10,5U0.  I  made  all 
necessary  repairs  on  the  Brilliant,  and  laid  in  a  good  supply  of 
provisions,  and  got  ready  for  sea,  well  satisfied  with  the  excel- 
lent -house  I  had  employed ;  and  without  wishing  to  detract 
from  the  merits  of  any  other  commercial  firm  in  Rio,  I  can 
safely  say  that  Maxwell,  Wright  &  Co.,  is  one  of  the  best 
managed  mercantile  houses  I  ever  had  business  with,  and 
with  pleasui'C  add,  that  every  thing  pertaining  to  my  affairs, 
was  transacted  to  my  entire  satisfaction. 

Before  leaving  Rio  de  Janeiro,  I  cannot  refrain  from  mak- 
ing a  few  remarks  on  this  great  commercial  metropolis  of  Bra- 
zil, and  will  commence  by  saying  that  Rio  lies  i)i  the  mild 
latitude  of  22°  56'  south,  longitude  43°  14'  west  of  London. 
It  has  by  nature  one  of  the  finest  harbors  to  be  found  on  the 
globe,  and  is  sufiiciently  large  to  contain  all  the  ships  in  the 
world ;  the  entrance  into  this  spacious  bay  and  harbor  is  only 
about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  wide,  having  a  singular  peaked 
hill  or  small  mountain  at  its  mouth,  on  the  southern  side, 
called  the  Sugar  Loaf,  while  on  the  northern  and  opposite  side 
of  the  entrance  is  located  a  strong  fort,  called  Santa  Cruz,  on 
moderately  high  ground,  and  in  a  very  commanding  position. 
After  passing  the  gorge,  the  bay  opens  beautifully  into  a  wide 
expanse  of  pure  still  water  for  several  miles  in  extent.  On 
the  left,  passing  up  the  capacious  bay,  about  three  miles  from 
its  mouth,  is  located  the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  here,  in 
front  of  the  city  is  placed  Ilha  das  Cob'ras.  It  is,  perhaps, 
a  mile  long,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad.  It  was 
doubtless  designed  by  Providence  to  give  double  protection 
and  security  to  ships.  For  all  these  blessings  God  requires 
nothing  in  return  but  reverence  and  gratitude.  The  passage 
between  this  island  and  the  city  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  and  admits  small  ships  and  vessels  to  lie  along  its  whole 
extent.  There  is  also  on  the  outside  of  the  island  room  for 
any  number  of  large  vessels ;  line-of-battle  ships  and  frigates 
19 


290  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

generally  anchor  further  out  in  the  bay,  where  there  is  a  great- 
er depth  of  water. 

This  extensive  bay  is  beautifully  sprinkled  with  small 
islands  and  innumerable  coves  in  every  direction,  all  around 
its  shores.  These  little  indentations  are  perfectly  smooth  and 
tranquil,  each  having  a  fine  clean  sand  beach,  which  renders 
them  the  best  boat  harbors  that  can  be  imagined,  and  those 
who  are  fond  of  sea-bathing  and  boat-sailing  will  find  them 
excel  all  others  in  charming  variety. 

I  regret  I  have  not  the  power  of  conveying  any  adequate 
idea  of  the  magnificent  scenery  around  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Its 
prominent  features  are  grand  and  sublime ;  still  there  are 
many  other  objects  of  interest ;  sailing-boats,  and  numerous 
small  crafts  are  passing  and  repassing,  which  animate  and  give 
life  and  freshness  to  this  pictuiesque  scene.  Looking  to  the 
westward,  far  away  in  the  background,  the  mind  is  filled  with 
wonder  and  delight  on  beholding  the  stupendous  Cordilleras 
towering  far  away  above  the  clouds  ;  then  letting  the  eye 
fall  from  these  lofty  heights  and  rest  on  the  north  shore.  And 
there  are  seen  every  variety  of  the  palm,  cocoa-nut  and  orange 
trees,  peculiar  to  a  tropical  climate,  growing  luxuriantly,  even 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  Then  turn  a  little  to  the  south- 
ward, and  you  behold  hills,  valleys  and  small  mountains, 
with  their  cragged  peaks,  wild  barren  cliffs  and  deep  ravines, 
filled  with  trees  and  rank  vegetation.  Turn  to  any  point  of 
the  compass,  and  you  are  presented  with  an  entire  new  scene, 
always  c)ianging  at  every  step.  13ut  to  see  the  bay  in  all  its 
extent  and  magnificence,  I  would  recommend  going  out  to 
Tejuca,  and  there  from  the  top  of  one  of  the  mountains  six  miles 
from  town,  one  may  see  the  city,  bay,  and  all  the  surrounding 
country  spread  out  like  a  map  at  your  feet.  Perhaps  there  is 
not  in  the  world,  a  greater  variety  of  grand  and  beautiful 
scenery  than  is  here  presented  to  the  view  of  the  beholder. 

There  is  nothing  striking  about  the  city  of  Rio.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  southwest  side  of  the  bay,  on  rather  level  ground, 
at  the  foot  of  several  high  iiills,  and  when  sailing  up  the  har- 


FIRST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT.  291 

bor,  it  appears  well  built,  and  one  would  imagine  it  a  much 
finer  city  than  it  really  is.  It  is,  however,  a  place  of  great 
commercial  importance,  and  probably  contains  about  two  hun- 
dred thousand  inhabitants,  of  all  colors — white,  black,  and  all 
the  intermediate  shades.  I  have  decided  to  return  to  this 
place  soon  ;  and  when  I  have  become  better  acquainted  with 
the  people  and  the  resources  of  the  country,  I  will  make  fur- 
ther remarks  on  this  subject,  and  also  on  the  moral  and  social 
state  of  society. 

After  remaining  in  Rio  thirty-eight  days,  we  sailed  on  the 
12th  of  March,  bound  for  New-Orleans.  AVe  soon  passed  out 
by  the  Sugar  Loaf  and  Fort  Santa  Cruz,  and  went  to  sea  in 
company  with  several  other  vessels  bound  to  different  parts  of 
the  world.  The  wind  was  light,  from  the  E.  N.  E.,  and  as 
there  was  considerable  swell  against  us,  we  made  but  slow 
progress  during  this  day. 

The  next  day,  March  13th,  the  winds  continued  light  from 
the  eastward,  and  we  had  clear,  pleasant  weather.  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  near  Raza,  or  Flat  Island, 
lying  about  ten  or  twelve  miles  outside  of  the  Sugar  Loaf.  On 
this  island  there  is  erected  a  light-house,  with  a  fine  revolving 
light,  said  to  be  three  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
which  may  be  seen  at  a  great  distance,  and  is  one  of  the  finest 
I  ever  saw.  The  wind  during  the  day  continued  light,  and 
the  weather  very  hot. 

From  the  time  of  leaving  Rio,  on  the  12tli  of  March,  I  find 
nothing  worth  noticing  until  the  26th  ;  we  generally  had  light 
winds  from  the  southeast,  and  fine  weather.  On  that  day  we 
made  the  Brazil  coast,  in  the  vicinity  of  Pernambuco ;  saw 
several  small  craft  beating  along  shore  to  the  northward.  At 
noon,  the  cities  of  Pernambuco  and  Olinda  bore  southwest 
about  twenty  miles  distant.  In  the  afternoon  of  this  day,  we 
counted  seventy  fishing  craft,  or  balsas — called  by  seamen 
catamorans  ;  they  are  composed  of  some  four  or  five  light, 
buoyant  logs,  laid  parallel  with  each  otiier,  and  a  few  cross- 
pieces  attached,  to  hold  them  together,  with  a  mast  and  sail 


292  FIRST   VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

rigged  to  them.  They  sail,  in  pursuit  of  fish,  quite  out  of  sight 
of  land  ;  they  had  each  a  barrel  of  fresh  water  lashed  to  the 
mast,  and  with  a  few  plantains  or  some  other  trifling  stores, 
go  off  on  a  voyage  with  the  most  perfect  confidence.  I  ran 
near  two  of  them,  in  hopes  of  purchasing  some  fish,  but  could 
not  prevail  upon  any  of  them  to  come  near  us.  They  are  a  very 
unsocial  race,  and  appear  to  avoid  intercourse  with  strangers. 
In  all  my  voyaging  along  this  coast,  I  have  never  been  able 
to  induce  these  amphibious  animals  to  come  alongside.  In 
the  Pacific,  on  the  coast  of  Payta  and  Guayaquil,  I  have  made 
many  remarks  on  these  rafts,  and  therefore  deem  it  unneces- 
sary to  enlarge  upon  the  subject. 

After  passing  Pernambuco.  we  continued  to  steer  to  the 
northward,  and  met  with  nothing  worth  noticing  until  the  4th 
of  April.  In  the  morning  of  that  day,  we  fell  in  with  the 
bark  Henry,  of  Salem.  This  vessel  left  Rio  in  company  with 
us,  and  was  bound  to  New-York.  As  the  winds  were  light, 
and  the  weather  fine,  I  wrote  a  few  hasty  letters  to  my  friends, 
and  sent  them  on  board.  Not  long  after  this,  a  fine  breeze 
sprung  up,  when  we  soon  lost  sight  of  each  other.  We  con- 
tinued on  our  course  to  the  northward,  until  the  13th  of 
April,  when  we  made  the  Island  of  Barbadoes  at  2  o'clock 
P.  M..  bearing  west,  twenty  miles  distant ;  fresh  breezes 
at  E.  N.  E.,  and  very  squally,  rainy  weather.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  got  within  four  miles  of  the 
island,  and  then  ran  along  down  on  its  south  side.  At  seven 
in  the  evening,  we  passed  near  Bridgetown,  and  saw  the  ship- 
ping lying  at  anchor  in  that  port.  The  Island  of  Barbadoes  is 
moderately  high,  well  cultivated,  and  is  one  of  the  finest 
windward  islands  in  the  West  Indies.  After  leaving  Barba- 
does in  the  evening,  on  the  13th  of  April,  we  ran  down  for  St. 
Lucia,  and  passed  between  it  and  St.  Vincent,  and  from  thence 
along  the  south  side  of  St.  Domingo  ;  we  continued  to  steer 
on  our  course  between  the  north  side  of  Jamaica  and  the 
south  side  of  Cuba.  In  this  broad  passage,  we  found  the 
northeast  trade-winds  fresh  and  strong ;  and  on  the  22d,  we 


FIKST  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BEILLIANT.  293 

hauled  to  the  northward,  to  pass  Cape  St.  Antonio,  lying  on  the 
west  end  of  Cuba  ;  and  from  this  point,  we  shaped  our  course 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi ;  and  on  the  27th  we  entered 
that  river,  after  a  short  and  pleasant  passage  of  forty-five  days 
from  Rio,  without  any  loss  or  accident  worth  noting.  We 
were  fortunate  in  obtaining  a  steamboat  to  tow  us  up  to  New 
Orleans,  without  delay  ;  so  that  on  the  next  day,  April  28th, 
we  got  safe  up  to  the  city.  On  my  arrival,  I  employed  Wil- 
liam G.  Hewes,  Esq.,  to  assist  me  in  transacting  my  business ; 
and  as  coifee  was  high,  and  in  demand,  Mr.  H.  soon  disposed 
of  it  at  a  fair  profit.  We  sold  the  entire  invoice  for  cash,  at 
thirteen  cents  per  pound ;  so  that  the  whole  of  my  coffee 
paid  a  freight  of  four  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  bag ;  and  after 
deducting  insurance,  commissions,  etc.,  etc.,  it  netted  a  clear 
freight  of  three  thousand  dollars.  If,  while  in  Rio,  I  had  had 
sufficient  funds  to  have  purchased  a  full  cargo,  instead  of  be- 
ing confined  to  the  seveu  hundred  and  seventy  bags,  I  should 
have  made  a  glorious  Voyage,  there  being  at  this  time  but 
very  little  in  the  market. 

Soon  after  I  sold  my  coffee,  I  fortunately  met  here  a  New- 
York  friend,  in  the  person  of  Andrew  Foster,  Jun.,  Esq.  This 
gentleman,  who  always  takes  pleasure  in  the  performance  of 
good  deeds,  and  is  ever  ready  to  serve  his  friends,  kindly  in- 
troduced me  to  Samuel  Henshaw,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  and  thus 
through  the  influence  of  Mr.  F.  I  obtained  a  full  freight  of  cot- 
ton for  that  city.  Freights  being  high  at  this  time  in  New  Or- 
leans, Mr.  H.  allowed  me  one  cent  per  pound,  with  five  per 
cent,  primage.  This  gentleman  was  agent  for  several  large 
commercial  houses  in  Massachusetts,  and  was  highly  respect- 
ed for  his  integrity  and  commercial  talent. 

I  got  the  cotton  compressed,  and  was  by  this  arrangement 
enabled  to  stow  six  hundred  bales  under,  and  eighty  bales  on 
deck.  I  also  obtained  twenty-two  tons  of  lead  at  two  dollars 
per  ton ;  with  this  and  some  other  small  articles,  my  freight 
and  primage  amounted  to  three  thousand  dollars.  The  chief 
mate  and  crew,  w^io  joined  the  brig  at  the  commencement  of 


294  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

the  voyage  in  New-York^  remained  with  me ;  the  second  mate, 
at  his  own  request,  was  discharged  here,  being  desirous  to 
return  direct  to  his  family  in  New- York.  To  his  situation  I 
promoted  one  of  the  crew,  Mr.  Richard  Hepburn,  a  talented 
young  man,  only  twenty  years  of  age.  And  thus  after  lying 
here  sixteen  days,  we  sailed  on  the  14th  of  May,  bound  for 
Boston. 

We  got  out  of  the  river  the  next  day,  and  met  with  nothing 
remarkable  on  the  passage.  On  the  8th  of  June,  at  daylight 
in  the  morning,  we  made  the  land  near  Chatham,  and  ran 
along  shore  in  ten  fathoms  of  water  to  the  light-house  on  Cape 
Cod.  Here  I  had  an  excellent  opportunity  of  testing  my  chro- 
nometer ;  and  thus,  from  the  mean  of  several  sights,  I  found 
the  instrument  only  differed  two  seconds  after  an  absence  of 
six  months  from  New- York ;  that  is  to  say  from  the  longitude 
of  Cape  Cod  light  as  laid  down  by  Bowditch. 

At  the  time  these  observations  were  made,  the  light-house 
bore  due  west  two  miles  distant.  The  next  day,  June  9th, 
we  took  a  pilot  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  got  safe 
to  Boston.  I  here  concluded  to  transact  my  own  business, 
and  accordingly  entered  the  Brilliant  at  the  custom  house, 
and  then  notified  all  the  owners  and  consignees  of  the  cargo 
that  I  was  ready  to  deliver  their  goods.  It  all  came  out  in 
good  order,  and  I  received  my  freight  without  trouble  or  diffi- 
culty. In  a  few  days  after  I  ballasted  the  brig  with  sand,  and 
promoted  Mr.  Brock,  my  chief  mate,  to  the  command  ;  I  also 
advanced  Mr.  Hepburn,  the  second  officer,  to  the  situation  of 
chief  mate.  I  furnished  Captain  Brock  with  gold  and  silver 
coin  to  the  amount  of  eight  hundred  dollars,  to  purchase  coals, 
and  forthwith  ordered  him  to  proceed  to  Sidney,  Cape  Breton, 
for  a  cargo,  and  return  from  thence  direct  to  New- York.  After 
getting  every  thing  ready,  he  sailed  from  Boston  on  the  17th 
of  June  for  Sydney,  Nova  Scotia,  In  a  few  days  after  the 
Brilliant  sailed,  I  returned  to  New- York  to  meet  my  family. 

Thus  ends  my  first  voyage  in  the  Brilliant. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BEIG  BRILLIANT  FEOM  NEW-YOEK  TO 
THE  ISLE  OF  MAY,  EIO  DE  JANEIEO,  AND  FEOM  THENCE  TO 
NEW  OELEANS  AND  CONNECTICUT,  IN  THE  YEAES  1838,  AND 
1839. 

REMARKS    PRECEDING    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE    IN    THE    SAME 

VESSEL. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  brig  Brilliant  left  Boston  on  the 
17th  of  June,  for  Sydney,  Nova  Scotia,  for  a  cargo  of  coal,  with 
orders  to  proceed  from  thence  to  New- York.  Captain  Brock 
performed  this  voyage  in  one  month,  and  after  I  had  disposed 
of  his  cargo,  I  forthwith  dispatched  him  a  second  time  to  the 
same  place,  and  when  the  neceseary  preparations  were  made, 
he  left  New- York  for  Sidney,  on  the  first  of  August,  1838. 
He  made  this  voyage  without  accident,  and  returned  again  on 
the  20th  of  September,  with  a  full  cargo  of  coal,  which  I  read- 
ily sold.  1  found  by  experience,  that  importing  coals  from 
Sydney,  was  a  poor  business,  and  left  me  but  a  very  small 
profit ;  still  I  preferred  keeping  the  Brilliant  employed  even  if 
I  made  but  little,  to  letting  her  He  idle,  and  dry  up  during  the 
summer  months. 

On  the  first  of  October  of  this  year,  I  made  an  arrangement 
with  J.  Comrie,  Esq.,  the  talented  and  worthy  agent  of  Messrs. 
Raid,  Irving  &  Co.,  of  London,  for  a  credit  of  fifteen  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  to  purchase  coflee  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  for  the 


296  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

New  Orleans  market,  at  a  commission  of  one  and  a  half  per 
cent,  for  the  use  of  their  credit ;  with  an  agreement  that  they 
would  charge  me  nothing,  if  not  used.  This  arrangement 
with  Reid,  Irving  &  Co.,  I  obtained  through  the  kind  influence 
of  my  excellent  friends,  Messrs.  Maitland,  Kennedy  &;  Co.,  of 
New- York.  For  this  and  many  other  friendly  favors  received 
from  them,  they  are  entitled  to  my  warmest  gratitude. 

Independently  of  the  credit  these  gentlemen  obtained  for 
me  from  their  London  friends,  they  also  gave  me  credit  on 
their  own  house  for  five  thousand  pounds,  to  use  or  not,  ac- 
cording as  I  should  judge  best,  during  my  absence.  They 
have  ever  been  to  me  true,  sincere,  and  disinterested  friends. 

After  making  all  my  arrangements  for  the  prosecution  of 
another  voyage  to  Rio,  I  left  Captain  Brock  in  charge  of  the 
Brilliant,  with  orders  to  leave  as  soon  as  possible,  proceed  in 
ballast  to  the  Isle  of  May,  and  there  purchase  a  cargo  of  salt, 
and  meet  me  in  Rio  without  delay.  After  having  supplied 
Captain  B.  with  sufficient  funds  in  doubloons  to  purchase  a 
cargo  at  the  Isle  of  May,  I  took  passage  for  Rio,  on  board  the 
brig  Himmelah,  of  New- York,  Captain  Beauvoise. 

The  Himmel  a  was  a  pilot-boat  built  brig  of  two  hundred 
tons  burthen,  and  owned  by  Messrs.  William  W.  De  Forest  6c 
Co.  The  supercargo  was  Mr.  Joseph  Bento,  a  very  worthy  intel- 
ligent gentleman  ;  there  were  four  cabin  passengers  besides  my- 
self We  had  also  three  French  passengers  who  quartered  in 
the  forecastle,  so  that  our  little  brig  was  literally  filled,  both 
fore  and  aft.  Our  captain  was  a  good  seaman  and  a  skilful 
navigator,  and  performed  his  duty  with  ability  and  good  sense. 

Owing  to  contrary  and  baffling  winds,  we  were  forty-two 
days  at  sea  before  crossing  the  equator,  in  longitude  27°  30' 
west,  but  after  getting  fairly  into  the  S.  E.  trades,  we  had 
fresh  breezes  and  fine  weather,  and  in  eleven  days  after  cross- 
ing the  line,  we  reached  Rio  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  Novem- 
ber, fifty-three  days  from  Now- York.  Our  passengers  were 
kind  and  social  to  each  other,  so  that  peace  and  harmony  pre- 
vailed during  the  whole  passage.     A  few  days  after  our  arrival 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT.  297 

we  all  dined  together  at  a  hotel  on  shore,  and  parted  with  mu- 
tual good  wishes. 

I  had  been  here  but  fifteen  days,  when  Capt.  Broclc  arriv- 
ed with  a  full  cargo  of  salt ;  he  left  New- York  on  the  13th 
October,  and  had  22  days  passage  to  the  Isle  of  May,  from 
thence  to  this  port  22,  making  together  44  days. 

Two  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Brilliant,  I  sold  her  cargo 
through  my  friends  and  consignees,  Messrs.  Maxwell,  Wright 
<fc  Co.,  all  to  be  received  in  15  days.  This  cargo  paid  a 
freight  of  thirteen  hundred  dollars,  after  deducting  all  charges 
for  commissions,  (fcc,  &c.  We  took  on  board  a  little  stone 
ballast,  and  prepared  the  Brilliant  to  receive  a  full  cargo  of 
coffee.  I  found  it,  too  high  to  purchase  at  the  then  current 
prices,  and  therefore  concluded  to  delay  buying  until  I  could 
procure  one  upon  more  favorable  terms.  This  gave  me  leis- 
ure to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  mercantile  classes, 
and  to  see  the  metropolis  of  Brazil  and  its  environs.  On  my 
last  voyage  I  made  several  remarks  on  the  spacious  and  mag- 
nificent bay  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  its  delightful  scenery.  At 
Rio,  though  the  climate  is  generally  hot,  it  is  still  a  healthful 
location,  owing,  I  suppose  to  its  immediate  proximity  to  the 
ocean,  and  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere.  This  city  is  very 
irregularly  built ;  the  old  part  resembles  its  model,  Lisbon. 

A  great  portion  of  the  people,  I  fear,  inherit  the  filthy  hab- 
its and  idle  propensities  of  their  ancestors.  In  this  city  as  in 
Lisbon,  if  the  climate  was  not  extremely  healthful,  its  inhab- 
itants would  soon  die  with  the  plague ;  as  a  great  proportion 
of  the  filth  is  thrown  into  the  streets  and  along  the  bayside. 
In  this  respect,  however,  I  am  told  they  are  improving ;  with- 
in a  few  years,  many  strangers  have  come  here  to  reside. 
There  are  at  present  several  English,  French,  American,  and 
German  merchants  living  here  with  their  families  ;  these  all 
tend  to  refine  and  civilize  the  inhabitants,  who  originally  came 
from  a  degenerate  stock.  There  are  several  streets  and 
squares  in  the  new  part  of  the  city,  that  appear  very  well ; 
many  of  the  houses  of  the  richer  classes  are  well  built  and 
comfortable  residences. 


298  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

The  city  contains  about  forty  churches,  but  few  of  them, 
however,  will  compare  with  those  of  Europe  or  North  Am(;- 
rica. 

At  this  period  the  httle  Emperor  was  a  fine-looking  boy, 
with  a  hght  complexion  ;  of  course  he  acted  under  a  Regent, 
but  expected  soon  to  take  the  reins  of  government  into  his 
own  hands.  His  title  was  Don  Pedro  the  II.;  he  inherited  the 
palace  of  his  father,  called  Christovao  ;  this  Imperial  residence 
is  situated  about  three  miles  from  town.  There  is  also  anoth- 
er government  palace  on  one  of  the  principal  squares,  near 
the  bay  side ;  this  is  a  large  irregular  pile  of  buildings,  occu- 
pying one  side  of  it.  It  has  been  enlarged  and  rebuilt,  from 
time  to  time,  and  now  presents  a  heterogeneous  style  of  archi- 
tecture, unlike  any  other  I  ever  saw.  It  is  not  occupied  as  a 
permanent  residence  by  the  Emperor  and  royal  family,  but 
only  used  on  public  days,  and  fetes  of  ceremony.  It  contains 
several  large  halls  and  reception  rooms,  which  are  here  used 
for  the  transaction  of  public  business,  as  are  town  halls  in 
other  countries.  During  my  stay  here,  I  witnessed  a  grand 
fete  given  by  the  government  in  honor  of  the  Emperor's  birth- 
day. He  was  born  on  the  2nd  of  December,  1825,  consequent- 
ly he  was  on  this  day,  13  years  old.  In  the  morning  firing 
was  heard  from  the  forts  and  ships-of-war  lying  in  port ;  all 
the  military,  both  the  regular  troops  and  the  national  guards, 
were  assembled  in  their  best  uniforms.  Triumphal  arches 
were  erected,  and  green  boughs  and  orange  leaves  profusely 
covered  the  principal  street  leading  to  the  palace.  About 
noon,  amid  the  roaring  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of  bells, 
was  seen  entering  the  city  the  royal  cortege  preceded  by  the 
military  with  banners  and  bands  of  music.  In  the  first  state 
coach,  drawn  by  six  black  mules,  were  placed  the  little 
Emperor  and  his  high  officers  of  state ;  next  his  two  sisters 
with  their  maiden  aunt,  then  the  ladies  of  honor  and  royal 
household,  all  in  coaches.  After  them  followed,  in  the 
royal  train,  carriages  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  sup- 
pose of  high  distinction,  behind  them.  A  long  line  of  gentlemen 
of  all  colors,  mounted  on  horseback,  brought  up  the  rear. 


SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  299 

The  houses  on  both  sides  of  the  principal  streets  tlirongh 
which  the  procession  passed,  were  filled  with  the  inhabitants 
in  their  best  holiday  dresses,  while  the  ladies  from  the  windows 
and  balconies  waved  their  white  handkerchiefs,  and  threw 
bouquets  of  flowers  into  the  coaches  of  the  Imperial  Family, 
as  they  moved  slowly  forward  towards  the  palace.  The 
streets  were  filled  with  dense  masses  of  human  beings,  of 
every  variety  of  color.  No  two  were  exactly  of  the  same 
shade  (except  the  blacks).  Perhaps  some  idea  may  be  formed 
of  this  mongrel  race,  by  saying  there  was  every  diversity  of 
tint  between  the  crow-black  and  the  pure  white,  and  this  as- 
semblage is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  people  of  Brazil. 

At  length  the  Emperor  and  the  whole  procession  arrived 
at  the  palace.  There  the  foreign  ambassadors,  consuls,  cap- 
tains of  ships-of-war  and  their  officers,  were  presented  to 
him  and  his  sisters,  who  were  fine-looking,  genteel  young  la- 
dies. 

Among  the  officers  of  the  army  were  white  and  black  ma- 
jors, colonels,  generals,  and  other  official  dignitaries,  with  their 
croix  d'  honneur  attached  to  their  button-holes,  all  moving 
about  in  the  assemblee  without  any  apparent  distinction.  The 
troops  of  the  line,  and  the  militia,  or  national  guards,  com- 
prised also  every  variety  of  shade,  hi  fine,  to  a  stranger,  it 
was  a  novel  sight  to  witness  such  a  grand  display  among  this 
mixed  race  of  human  beings  ;  and  to  one  accustomed  to  see 
the  movements  of  the  royal  families  of  France  and  England 
upon  like  occasions,  this  exhibition  appeared  like  a  perfect  farce, 
or  burlesque  ;  still,  it  is,  perhaps,  as  good  a  government  as  they 
ought  to  expect  until  they  become  more  enlightened. 

From  all  I  could  learn  on  the  subject  of  morals  and  reli- 
gion, they  are  in  a  very  low  state,  both  here  and  in  most  other 
parts  of  the  empire.  Their  navy  consists  of  one  linc-of-battle 
ship,  the  Don  Pedro,  five  frigates,  six  sloops-of-war,  and  a  few 
steamboats,  all  badly  appointed  and  equipped,  and  in  a  misera- 
ble state  of  discipline.  Whenever  a  few  ships-of-war  are  re- 
quired to  proceed  to  Bahia,  or  any  other  port  on  the  coast,  to  put 


300  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

down  a  revolt  or  rebellion,  they  are  obliged  to  impress  sailors 
for  the  occasion.  It  cannot,  therefore,  be  expected  that  such 
men  will  fight,  except  by  compulsion.  If  their  army  is  as 
badly  organized  as  their  navy,  I  should  think  they  would 
make  but  a  feeble  resistance  in  defending  their  metropolis 
against  any  powerful  maritime  nation. 

From  my  remarks  upon  the  military  and  social  condition 
of  this  empire,  it  may  appear  that  I  am  prejudiced  against  the 
nation,  and  do  not  treat  the  subject  with  impartiality.  In  an- 
swer to  this,  I  aver  that  1  have  no  prejudice  against  them,  but 
feel  bound,  as  a  stranger,  to  relate  the  truth  to  the  best  of  my 
abilities.  As  a  friend  to  the  human  race,  I  hope  they  may  re- 
form and  become  a  wiser  and  a  better  nation,  though  I  fear  it 
will  require  many  generations. 

They  are  so  deeply  imbued  with  ignorance  and  supersti- 
tion, and  so  firmly  wedded  to  obsolete  religious  mummeries, 
that  it  will  take  a  great  many  years  to  transform  them  to  a 
great  people. 

One  of  the  most  agreeable  features  connected  with  Rio,  is 
the  beautiful  gardens  and  private  residences  in  its  immediate 
vicinity.  A  large  portion  of  the  foreign  merchants  reside  in 
the  country,  and  are  spread  around  some  eight  or  ten  miles 
from  the  city.  There  they  enjoy  more  tranquillity,  fresher  and 
purer  air  than  they  could  find  in  the  town.  The  shrubbery, 
fruits  and  flowers  are  exceedingly  fragrant  and  fine ;  all  the 
tropical  fruits  grow  here  in  great  abundance  ;  the  melons  and 
oranges  in  particular,  are  as  delicious  as  in  any  part  of  the 
world. 

The  foreign  merchants  and  gentlemen  who  reside  in  their 
country-houses,  come  to  the  city  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  to 
attend  to  their  business,  dine  in  town,  and  then  return  home 
in  the  evening,  to  avoid  the  intense  heat  of  the  noonday's  sun. 
Thus  they  manage  to  enjoy  the  society  of  each  other,  and 
live  better  and  with  more  comfort  than  they  could  possibly  do 
in  town.  About  six  miles  to  the  southward  of  Rio,  near  the 
sea,  is  a  spacious  botanical  garden,  belonging  to  the  govern- 


SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  TUE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  301 

ment ;  it  covers  about  four  acres  of  ground,  and  is  certainly  a 
beautiful  place,  and  kept  in  fine  order  ;  it  contains  many  ex- 
otics, and  among  others,  a  great  variety  of  the  tea-plant  im- 
ported from  China.  The  commerce  of  Rio  has  increased 
within  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years  from  apparent  insignifi- 
cance to  vast  importance.  Their  grand  staple  of  exportation, 
coffee,  has  within  a  few  years  gradually  augmented  from  a 
few  hundred  bags  to  the  enormous  amount  of  a  million,  or 
more,  which  are  annually  exported  from  this  city  to  different 
parts  of  the  world  ;  each  bag  is  computed  at  IGO  pounds,  Eng- 
lish weight,  but  I  have  generally  found  them  to  contain  1G2 
upon  an  average. 

Besides  this  immense  amount  of  coffee,  there  is  annually 
shipped  from  this  port  large  quantities  of  sugar,  hides,  rice, 
tobacco,  tapioca,  ipecacuanha,  and  other  articles  of  commerce. 
The  increase  of  coffee  is  owing  to  the  immense  extent  of  rich 
lands  spreading  far  and  wide  over  this  productive  region  ;  add 
to  this  the  facility  these  people  have  enjoyed  for  many  years 
in  procuring  black  slaves  from  the  coast  of  Africa.  They 
have  imported  into  Brazil  from  three  hundred  thousand  to  half 
a  million  per  annum,  and,  until  lately,  without  any  kind  of 
obstruction.  The  proximity  of  this  coast  to  the  shores  of  Africa 
renders  the  importation  of  negroes  to  this  country  extremely 
easy  ;  with  constant  and  favorable  winds,  they  are  enabled  to 
perform  the  passage  in  ten  or  fifteen  days,  and  dispose  of  their 
slaves  at  reasonable  prices ;  so  that  with  these  facilities  the 
planters  may  cultivate  coffee  to  any  extent.  What  effect  the 
interruption  or  interference  of  the  European  powers  with  the 
slave  trade  will  have  on  its  cultivation  in  Brazil,  remains  to 
be  proved  hereafter.  The  importation  of  negroes  and  mixing 
up  of  the  races,  appear  to  degenerate  and  debase  the  white 
man,  without  elevating  the  black. 

Nature  has  done  much  for  Rio,  and  the  people  have  accom- 
plished something  for  themselves,  though  they  should  have  done 
much  more  ;  they  have  partially  supplied  tlie  city  with  pure 
water  by  an  aqueduct  from  a  neighboring  hill,  called  the  Cor- 


302  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN   THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

covado.  It  is  conveyed  to  fountains  in  different  parts  of  the 
town,  and  as  far  as  it  goes,  is  good  and  useful,  but  the  quan- 
tity is  too  Hmited.  It  should  have  been  conducted  in  pipes,  to 
all  parts  of  the  city,  and  to  private  houses.  The  shipping  are 
badly  supplied,  and  have  frequently  to  wait  for  hours,  and 
meet  with  great  difficulty  in  getting  what  they  require.  At 
the  main  fountain,  near  the  Grand  Palace,  where  they  are  fur- 
nished, there  is  a  perfect  throng  of  men  and  boats  waiting 
turns,  and  what  with  the  noise  and  confusion  of  tongues,  it  is 
a  perfect  Babel. 

Among  the  public  buildings  worthy  of  notice  are  the  Mer- 
chants' Exchange  and  a  new  Theatre  ;  these  are  handsome  ed- 
ifices. The  National  Museum  is  well  filled,  and  is  worth  the 
attention  of  strangers. 

The  market  consists  of  a  collection  of  filthy  booths  for  the 
sale  of  vegetables,  which  are  generally  abundant  and  cheap. 
Butchers'  meat  is  sold  in  shops  scattered  about  the  town,  and 
at  reasonable  prices.  Beef  here,  as  in  other  hot  climates,  is 
but  indifferent.  Young  goats  and  kids  are  good,  fresh  pork 
soft  and  unpalatable.  Fish  are  abundant,  excellent,  and 
cheap. 

There  are  very  few  hotels  in  Rio,  and  none  of  any  note 
kept  by  the  natives  of  the  country ;  there  is  one  kept  by  a 
Frenchman,  near  the  Grand  Plaza,  fronting  the  water,  which 
is  a  pretty  good  house ;  but  in  general,  strangers  are  misera- 
bly accommodated  ;  they  can  scarcely  get  a  good  dinner,  ex- 
cept at  the  table  of  some  resident  foreigner.  The  gentle- 
men merchants  here  are  always  polite  and  hospitable  to 
strangers  ;  their  houses  are  ever  open  to  respectable  persons  ; 
and  were  it  not  for  their  kindness,  a  visitor  at  Rio  would  find 
himself  very  much  at  a  loss  for  society,  and  even  for  the  ordi- 
nary comforts  of  civilized  life.  In  consequence  of  the  great 
influx  of  Africans  into  tliis  country  for  several  years  past,  the 
blacks  have  become  so  nimicrous,  that  the  whole  nation  have 
adopted  the  policy  of  amalgamation,  for  their  own  security. 
Though  they  consent  to  mix  their  blood  with  the  black  race, 


SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  803 

they  all  unite  upon  the  broad  principle  of  sustaining  slavery 
to  the  letter  and  to  the  spirit.  For  example  :  if  a  slave  (which 
is  frequently  the  case)  acquires  suflicient  money  to  purchase 
his  freedom,  he  is  allowed  the  privilege  of  doing  so ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  emancipated  negro  acquij'os  enough  means  to  pur- 
chase one,  he  does  it,  and  by  this  act,  he  also  unites  himself 
with  the  slave-holding  aristocracy  to  sustain  the  system. 
Thus  it  becomes  the  interest  of  the  whole  community  to  sup- 
port this  institution,  which  is  here  carried  out  to  its  full  ex- 
tent, even  among  some  of  the  richer  classes.  If  a  white  man 
should  lose  his  wife  by  death,  and  she  should  have  been  a 
white  woman,  by  whom  he  may  have  had  children,  his  next 
wife  may  perhaps  be  quite  black,  and  his  third,  yellow ;  so 
that,  in  the  same  family,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  three  sorts 
of  children,  all  of  different  shades.  In  the  churches,  and  in 
the  first  boxes  in  the  theatre,  I  have  seen  every  variety  of 
color,  mixed  up  in  perfect  harmony,  and  have  frequently  ac- 
cepted the  polite  offer  of  the  snuff-box  from  a  black  gentleman, 
as  readily  as  I  should  have  done  from  a  white  one,  and  have 
found  this  to  be  the  ordinary  custom  among  the  elite  of  Rio. 

After  stating  these  facts,  1  deem  it  unnecessary  to  enlarge 
upon  the  moral  and  social  state  of  society,  but  will  leave  every 
intelligent  person  to  judge  for  himself  It  is  not  from  a  few 
of  the  upper  classes,  or  leaders,  that  one  can  form  a  just  idea 
of  a  nation ;  on  the  contrary,  he  must  look  into  the  con- 
dition of  the  great  body  of  the  people,  to  arrive  at  a  correct 
opinion. 

The  price  of  coffee  had  now  declined  to  a  point  that  en- 
abled me  to  buy  a  cargo  of  that  article,  through  my  friends 
and  consignees,  Messrs.  Maxwell,  Wright  &  Co. ;  and  ac- 
cordingly, on  the  1st  of  January,  1839,  we  commenced  pur- 
chasing, and  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  bought  the  whole 
amount,  comprising  three  thousand  bags,  and  in  three  or  four 
days  had  it  all  shipped,  in  good  order,  on  board  the  Brilliant. 
This  cargo  was  all  bought  for  my  own  account ;  and  cost 
when  on  board — all  charges  paid — eight  cents  per  pound,  or. 


304  SECOND   VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT. 

say  a  fraction  over  $13  per  bag.  I  paid  for  this  coffee  in  bills 
on  Messrs.  Reid,  Irving  &  Co.,  of  London.  These  bills  of  ex- 
change amounted  to  the  gross,  sum  of  eight  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds  sterling,  or,  in  round  numbers,  forty- 
one  thousand  dollars. 

We  soon  purchased  all  our  sea-stores,  and  left  Rio  on  the 
12th  of  January,  bound  for  New  Orleans.  After  leaving  port, 
we  stood  off  to  the  southward  and  eastward  for  two  days — 
having  met  with  a  strong  gale  from  the  eastward,  near  Cape 
Frio — but  on  the  third  day  it  moderated,  when  we  tacked  ship, 
steered  to  the  northward,  and  weathered  the  Cape,  and  fortu- 
nately met  with  favorable  breezes  from  the  southeast  for  seve- 
ral days,  and  proceeded  rapidly  on  our  course. 

I  find  nothing  in  my  journal  worth  noticing  until  we  made 
the  land  about  Cape  St.  Augustine,  and  the  next  day  saw  the 
cities  of  Pernambuco  and  Olinda.  After  passing  these  places, 
we  had  light  but  favorable  breezes  from  the  southeast ;  and 
when  we  struck  the  northeast  trades,  we  had  strong  gales  and 
squally  weather  for  several  days.  I  took  the  same  track  on 
this  passage  as  on  the  last  voyage,  namely,  to  the  Island  of 
Barbadocs,  and  from  thence  ran  down  between  the  Islands  of 
St.  Lucia  and  St.  Vincent,  and  then  down  the  south  sides  of 
Porto  Rico  and  St.  Domingo,  and  so  along  the  passage  be- 
tween Cuba  and  Jamaica ;  and  after  passing  Cape  St.  Anto- 
nio, we  hauled  to  the  northward  for  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, at  which  place  I  arrived,  without  any  accident,  on  the 
5th  of  March,  and  two  days  after  got  safe  up  to  New  Orleans. 
Here  I  met  with  a  good  market  for  my  cofffie,  and  in  the 
course  of  eight  or  ten  days  sold  the  whole  cargo,  through  my 
friends,  Messrs.  William  G.  Hewes  6c  Co.,  at  an  average  price 
of  eleven  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  or,  say  seventeen  dollars 
and  twenty-six  cents  per  bag.  The  whole  invoice  netted  the 
round  sum  of  fifty-one  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars;  so 
that,  after  paying  the  commissions,  insurance,  and  all  other 
charges,  it  gave  me  a  clear  freight  of  three  dollars  per  bag — 
makinff  on  the  whole  invoice  nine  thousand  dollars.     In  a  few 


SECOND   VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT.  805 

days  after  discharging  my  coffee,  I  obtained  from  Samuel 
Henshaw,  Esq.,  a  full  freight  of  cotton  for  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, at  the  rate  of  three-fourths«»)f  a  cent  per  pound,  with  five 
per  cent,  primage.  I  had  it  compressed,  and  was  therefore 
enabled  to  take  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  bales.  The 
total  amount  of  my  freight  and  primage,  was  two  thousand 
and  forty-eight  dollars;  add  to  this,  I  had  four  cabin  and  three 
steerage  passengers.  On  the  4th  of  April  we  left  New  Orleans 
in  tow  of  a  steamboat,  and  steered  down  the  river,  bound  to 
Hartford.  I  had  now  been  but  twenty-seven  days  in  this  city, 
during  which  time  I  had  sold  a  cargo  of  coffee,  settled  all  my 
business,  obtained  a  full  freight  of  cotton,  and  was  now  on 
my  way  home,  with  a  fine  prospect  of  making  an  excellent 
voyage.  A  few  days  before  leaving  port,  I  discharged  Mr. 
George  Brock,  my  chief  mate,  and  promoted  my  second  mate, 
Mr.  Richard  Hepburn,  to  his  situation — Mr.  H.  being  an  active, 
efficient  officer,  and  a  young  man  of  decided  talent. 

We  got  safe  to  sea  the  same  evening  after  leaving  New 
Orleans,  and  met  with  no  incident  worth  recording  during  the 
passage.  We  made  Montauk  Point  on  the  24th  of  April.  In 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  we  arrived  at  Saybrook,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Connecticut  River,  after  a  pleasant  passage  of 
twenty  days.  The  next  day  all  my  passengers  took  a  steam- 
boat for  New- York,  well  pleased  with  their  voyage. 

As  there  was  not  sufficient  water  for  the  Brilliant  to  enter 
the  river,  I  hired  a  sloop  to  take  about  a  hundred  bales  of  cot- 
ton up  to  Hartford  ;  this  lightened  the  brig  enough  to  pass  the 
bar ;  so  that  in  a  few  days  we  got  safe  up  to  Essex,  seven 
miles  above  the  month  of  the  river,  where  we  discharged  the 
residue  of  our  cotton  into  large  flat  boats,  or  scows,  and  by 
these  craft  it  was  transported  to  Hartford.  In  a  few  days 
after,  I  collected  the  freight,  and  discharged  all  the  crew  of 
the  Brilliant,  except  the  second  mate,  whom  I  retained  as 
ship-keeper. 

Essex  is  a  considerable  village,  lying  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Connecticut  River. 
20 


S06  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

I  returned  to  my  family,  in  New- York,  on  the  15th  of 
May,  and  settled  the  voyage,  namely  :  from  New- York  to  the 
Isle  of  May,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  New  Orleans,  and  from  that 
port  to  Saybrook,  comprising  a  period  of  seven  months — during 
which  time  the  net  gains  on  the  salt  and  coffee,  with  what  I 
cleared  on  the  freight  of  cotton,  left  me  a  clear  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  after  paying  every  expense. 


I 


4 

\ 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THIRD  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT  FROM  SAYBROOK  TO 
SYDNEY,  N.  S.,  AND  FROM  THENCE  TO  PHILADELPHIA,  IN  THE 
YEAR   1889. 


My  young  mate,  Mr.  Richard  Hepburn,  was  an  active,  effi- 
cient officer,  and  on  the  first  of  June  I  promoted  him  to  the 
command  of  the  BriUiant.  I  also  advanced  the  second  mate, 
Mr.  Peter  Hanson,  to  the  situation  of  chief  mate.  I  had  now 
decided  to  send  the  brig  to  Sydney,  for  another  load  of  coals 
for  the  New-York  market,  and  as  seamen  and  ship  stores 
could  not  readily  be  obtained  at  Saybrook,  Captain  Hepburn 
shipped  a  crew,  and  purchased  all  necessary  sea  stores  in 
New- York,  and  from  thence  proceeded  with  them  in  a  steam- 
boat to  Saybrook,  where  he  joined  the  Brilliant.  He  forthwith 
ballasted  the  brig,  and  got  ready  for  sea.  It  being  a  fine 
season  of  the  year,  I  subsequently  concluded  to  go  with  him 
and  make  a  voyage  to  Nova  Scotia.  We  left  Saybrook  in  the 
morning  on  the  27th  of  June,  and  with  a  moderate  breeze  and 
ebb  tide,  soon  passed  Gull  Island  ;  at  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  this  day  we  took  our  departure  from  Montauk  Point, 
and  stood  out  to  sea.  As  usual  at  this  season  of  the  year,  we 
had  light  winds  and  fine  weather  for  several  consecutive  days  ; 
we  passed  just  outside  of  Nantucket  south  shoal,  and  then 
near  the  southern  edge  of  George's  Bank,  and  from  thence  to 
the  eastward  along  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  not  far  from 
Halifax. 


308  THIRD  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLI.iNT, 

On  the  4th  of  July  we  had  strong  breezes  from  the  S.  W., 
with  foggy,  damp,  and  comparatively  cold  weather.  Our 
large  pea-jackets  and  gloves  were  very  useful.  At  5  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  this  day  we  made  the  land,  namely,  the 
Island  of  Cape  Breton,  not  far  from  old  Louisburg,  Here  we 
found  strong  gales  at  S.  S.  W.,  with  thick,  foggy  weather,  so 
that  we  were  obliged  to  reef  topsails,  and  stand  off  and  on  all 
night  under  easy  sail. 

Next  day  we  had  a  continuation  of  the  same  weather ;  we 
therefore  deemed  it  unsafe  to  approach  the  land,  and  thus  we 
were  groping  about  in  a  dense  fog  during  forty  hours,  with- 
out being  able  to  get  an  observation  of  the  sun.  On  the  7th 
of  July  the  wind  moderated,  and  the  weather  clearing  a  little, 
we  made  Flint  Island,  six  miles  distant.  This  island  lies  near 
the  main  land  of  Cape  Breton,  and  is  an  excellent  landmark 
for  Sydney.  Near  this  place  and  all  along  the  shore,  we  saw 
great  numbers  of  boats  employed  in  catching  codfish  ;  one  of 
them  came  alongside,  and  supplied  us  with  eight  or  ten  large 
ones  for  half  a  dollar.  These  fish  are  so  abundant,  that  the 
fishermen  set  but  little  value  upon  them  :  two  men  can  catch 
a  large  boat  load  in  a  few  hours. 

Halibut  are  also  extremely  abundant  in  this  region  and  all 
along  the  coast  of  Cape  Breton.  Great  numbers  of  men  obtain 
a  living  by  the  cod  fishery ;  they  employ  themselves  during 
the  spring  and  summer  months  by  taking  fish  in  boats,  and 
drying  (or  making  them),  as  it  is  here  called,  on  the  shore, 
near  where  they  are  caught. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year,  say  in  October,  and  in  the  early 
part  of  November,  they  are  brought  to  market,  either  to  Sydney 
or  some  other  considerable  town,  and  from  these  places  they 
are  shipped  to  ports  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  also  to  the  West 
India  Islands.  The  codfish  taken  here  and  at  Newfoundland, 
when  preserved  and  cured,  are  said  to  be  the  best  in  the  world, 
and  bear  a  higher  price  in  Spain  and  other  foreign  countries 
than  those  from  any  part  of  the  globe.  This  morning  we 
passed  near  Scattery  ;  tiiis  is  a  singular  little  island,  quite  bare 


THIRD  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT.  809 

of  trees,  and  is  also  an  excellent  landmark  for  vessels  bound 
to  Sydney.  We  continued  to  sail  along  shore  towards  the 
harbor,  and  as  the  weather  had  now  become  clear  and  pleasant, 
we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  coast ;  the  land  was  moderately 
high,  and  had  rather  a  barren  appearance.  At  noon  this  day 
we  got  off  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  where  we  took  a  pilot 
near  the  light-house,  but  as  the  wind  was  contrary,  we  did  not 
reach  Sydney  until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  which  made 
our  passage  nine  days  from  Saybrook.  The  day  after  being 
Sunday,  we  made  it  a  day  of  rest ;  I  dined  with  my  corres- 
pondents, the  Messrs.  Archibalds,  who  are  the  principal  mer- 
chants at  this  place. 

At  the  table  of  our  host,  I  met  six  or  eight  gentlemen,  all 
English,  except  one  American  and  myself;  they  were  all 
social,  polite,  and  intelligent.  There  were  no  ladies  present, 
Mr.  A.  being  at  this  time  a  bachelor  ;  he  lived  in  good  style, 
and  was  very  urbane  and  agreeable. 

Towards  evening  I  returned  on  board  the  Brilliant,  pleased 
with  the  kind  hospitality  of  Mr.  A.,  and  with  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  Sydney,  and  mentally  said.  Let  a  man  wan- 
der to  whatever  part  of  the  world  he  may,  he  will  always  find 
some  good  and  agreeable  people.  Kindness  and  social  hospi- 
tality are  not  confined  to  any  country  or  clime,  but  spring  up 
like  good  seed,  and  bear  fruit  even  in  the  cold  and  foggy  re- 
gions of  the  north.  While  on  the  eve  of  loading  the  Brilliant, 
I  was  offered  a  freight  of  coals  for  Philadelphia,  which  I  con- 
sidered a  little  more  conducive  to  my  interest  than  purchasing 
for  my  own  account.  I  accordingly  accepted  the  offer,  and 
forthwith  commenced  loading  for  that  city. 

As  I  had  an  efficient  captain  to  attend  to  the  Brilliant,  it 
gave  me  sufficient  leisure  to  explore  Sydney  and  its  environs, 
and  also  to  visit  the  coal  mines. 

These  mines  are  situated  about  two  miles  from  Sydney,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  harbor,  not  far  from  the  sea.  They  are 
owned  by  a  company  in  England,  and  are  wrought  by  agents 
living  at  this  place.     There  is  a  railroad  from  the  pits  to  the 


310  THIRD   VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

wharves,  where  the  ships  and  vessels  he  to  receive  the  coal. 
At  the  pits  it  is  put  into  large  cars  containing  two  chaldrons 
each,  with  their  bottoms  so  arranged  with  hinges  as  to  open 
directly  into  the  hatchway  of  the  ship  ;  in  this  way  it  is  rapidly 
taken  on  board.  I  took  two  hundred  chaldrons  into  my  brig 
in  the  course  of  six  hours.  A  large  ship  of  five  or  six  hun- 
dred tons  burthen,  by  receiving  coal  at  two  hatchways,  can 
take  in  a  full  cargo  in  a  day ;  and  if  it  could  be  stowed 
away  as  fast  as  it  can  be  put  on  board,  a  large  ship  might 
be  loaded  in  a  very  few  hours ;  the  only  delay  is  to  keep 
the  hatchways  clear  to  receive  it.  I  visited  the  mines,  and 
found  immense  quantities  of  it  lying  in  large  heaps  at  and 
near  the  mouth  of  the  pits.  This  coal  is  similar  to  the  Liver- 
pool, but  not  quite  so  bituminous ;  it  burns  freely,  but  con- 
sumes quicker  than  the  Orrel.  It  appeared  that  the  greatest 
difficulty  the  owners  or  agents  of  the  mines  had  to  contend 
with,  was  to  dispose  of  it ;  they  can  dig  out  almost  any 
quantity,  if  they  could  find  a  ready  market.  During  the  four 
or  five  days  that  I  remained  here,  there  were  some  eight  or 
ten  vessels  loaded  with  coal,  viz.,  two  ships  from  Boston,  and 
several  brigs  and  schooners  from  other  parts  of  the  United 
States,  besides  sundry  small  coasting  vessels  from  Halifax  and 
Newfoundland.  Perhaps  if  the  price  was  reduced  to  a  lower 
scale,  more  vessels  would  come  here  to  purchase  it,  but  whether 
the  owners  of  the  mines  can  afford  to  sell  it  lower,  I  am  not 
able  to  say.  At  any  rate  it  is  a  great  source  of  wealth  and 
comfort,  to  have  such  an  abundant  supply  of  this  necessary 
article  in  this  dreary  climate  during  the  long  and  severe  win- 
ter months.  Independently  of  these  considerations,  the  coal 
mines  directly  or  indirectly  give  employment  to  hundreds,  or 
perhaps  thousands,  who  otherwise  would  find  nothing  to  do. 
Thus  one  is  led  to  reflect  on  the  bounty  and  Avisdom  of  God 
in  His  provision  for  man  in  almost  every  part  of  the  globe. 
Here  in  this  cold  region,  where  genial  suns  and  fertile  lands 
are  denied  those  who  inhabit  this  country,  the  surrounding 
seas  and  rivers  are  filled   with  excellent  fish  ;  and  though  the 


THIRD  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  311 

summers  are  short  and  the  soil  not  rich,  it  is  sufficiently  good 
to  produce  abundance  of  the  best  quality  of  potatoes,  while  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  are  charged  with  bituminous  coal,  which 
here  may  be  purchased  very  low,  so  that  a  poor  man  with  the 
least  industry  may  live  and  support  his  family  comfortably. 
He  can  provide  his  fish  and  potatoes  in  the  summer,  and  pur- 
chase his  coal  with  but  little  labor.  Still,  with  all  these  bless- 
ings at  hand,  one  meets  with  much  poverty  and  moral  deg- 
radation. 

And  after  the  many  bounties  here  bestowed  upon  man, 
methinks  I  hear  the  inquiry,  What  then  is  the  cause  of  this 
sad  state  of  things,  and  why  are  the  people  so  poor,  ignorant, 
and  debased  ?  The  answer  is  short  but  true.  Rum  !  Rum ! 
or  alcohol  in  some  shape  or  other.  This  is  the  bane  that 
poisons  and  pollutes  the  pure,  moral,  and  social  state  of  society  ; 
and  although  the  upper  classes  are  so  polite,  well-bred,  and 
hospitable,  I  am  constrained  to  say  I  fear  they  do  not  adhere 
to  temperance  as  much  as  they  ought.  If  they  would  set  the 
example  of  strict  and  total  abstinence,  I  think  a  great  reform 
would  soon  take  place,  and  that  temperance  and  sobriety  would 
soon  banish  the  low  and  drunken  debauchery  which  now  de- 
bases and  degrades  the  working  classes  in  this  region.  This 
colony  is  England  on  a  small  scale  ;  the  rich  and  educated 
live  well,  and  are  abundantly  supplied  with  all  the  necessa- 
ries, and  most  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  while  the  great  mass  of 
English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  emigrants  are  poor  and  wretchedly 
debased ;  the  contrast  between  the  working-classes  of  New  Eng- 
land and  this  place,  is  as  great  as  can  well  be  imagined.  In  Mas- 
sachusetts and  Connecticut  there  are  no  marks  of  extreme 
poverty ;  all  appear  well  clothed  and  well  fed ;  here  poverty 
and  drunkenness  riot  without  shame  or  remorse. 

The  face  of  the  country  about  Sydney  is  undulating,  and 
I  may  add,  rather  hilly  ;  in  many  of  the  valleys  the  ground  is 
somewhat  ])roductive,  and  though  the  warm  season  is  short, 
still  I  am  told  it  is  a  pretty  good  grazing  country  ;  and  that 
they  not  only  supply  themselves  with  all  the  butler  and  cheese 


812  THIRD   VOYAGE   IN"  THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT. 

they  require,  but  export  considerable  quantities  to  the  West 
Indies.  Sydney  is  a  small  town,  containing  probably  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  houses  ;  the  richer  classes  have  large 
and  comfortable  gardens  attached,  and  as  the  streets  are  wide, 
the  place  has  a  respectable  appearance.  It  probably  contains 
about  five  or  six  hundred  inhabitants,  exclusive  of  those  who 
live  near  the  coal  mines.  There  are  also  many  farm-houses 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  for  several  miles  in  extent,  and  in 
the  summer  season  the  country  has  a  pleasant  aspect.  The  most 
striking  feature  of  the  place  to  a  stranger,  is  the  abundance  offish. 
Cod  and  halibut  come  quite  into  the  port  of  Sydney,  and  may 
be  taken  with  but  little  labor,  or  purchased  for  a  trifling  sum 
of  money.  Besides  the  fish  taken  in  the  bays  and  harbors  all 
along  the  coast,  the  lakes  and  rivers  abound  with  them,  so 
that,  in  a  word,  this  is  the  greatest  country  for  the  finny  tribe 
that  I  have  ever  visited. 

During  my  sojourn  here,  I  strolled  to  the  camp  of  an  Indian 
tribe  ;  they  were  in  a  pleasant  grove,  not  far  from  the  town. 
There  were  perhaps  one  hundred  men,  women  and  children, 
all  employed  making  baskets,  moccasons,  and  other  articles  for 
use  or  ornament.  They  were  comfortably  clad,  and  behaved 
with  great  propriety,  I  purchased  a  quantity  of  baskets,  and 
found  them  social  and  friendly ;  they  were  generally  good 
looking,  and  some  of  the  young  women  were  even  handsome, 

I  have  every  reason  to  speak  well  of  Sydney,  for  during  my 
short  stay  here  I  received  a  great  deal  of  liospitality  and  kind 
attention  from  several  families,  particularly  from  the  Messrs, 
Archibalds,  and  also  from  Captain  IJarriugton,  and  their  fami- 
lies, and  shall  ever  hold  them  in  grateful  remembrance, 

I  have,  within  a  few  months,  had  the  pleasure  of  enjoying 
three  spring  seasons  ;  being  in  New  Orleans  during  the  month 
of  March,  I  partook  of  green  peas,  strawberries  and  other  early 
fruits,  and  saw  many  fragrant  flowers  in  full  bloom, 

I  was  in  New  York  and  Coimecticut  during  the  month  of 
May  ;  there  I  also  enjoyed  another  spring,  and  here  I  am  again 
in  the  midst  of  another,  notwithstanding  it  is  now  the  lOlh 


THIRD  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  313 

of  July.  I  have  been  gradually  moving  northward,  from  the 
hot  suns  of  New  Orleans  to  the  cold  fogs  of  Nova  Scotia, 
and  during  the  greater  portion  of  the  time,  have  been  favored 
with  fine  weather.  Notwithstanding  I  met  with  cold  and 
damp  fogs  for  several  days  before  entering  the  port  of  Sydney, 
it  has  been  remarkably  fine  and  clear  during  my  stay  here. 

On  the  11th  of  July  we  finislied  loading  the  Brilliant,  got 
all  our  stores  on  board,  and  made  ready  for  sea. 

While  lying  at  anchor  this  day,  two  female  Indians  came 
ofrfi'om  the  shore  in  a  beautiful  bark  canoe.  It  was  so  light  and 
buoyant  that  it  sat  like  a  gull  on  the  water,  and  was  truly 
a  fine  specimen  of  exquisite  workmanship.  The  youngest 
of  these  females  was  a  fine  model  of  feminine  simplicity  and 
artless  beauty :  her  long  black  hair  was  gracefully  braided  ; 
in  front  it  was  parted  sufiiciently  to  show  a  light  brown  fore- 
head, with  jet  black  eyes  and  regular  features,  that  might 
serve  as  a  model  for  a  sculptor  to  imitate  the  perfection  of  the 
human  form.  Her  dress  was  made  close  around  the  waist, 
and  so  arranged  as  to  show  a  full  bust ;  and  thus  with  close, 
ornamented  pantaloons,  and  high-wrought  moccasons,  was 
gracefully  seated,  at  her  ease,  this  simple  child  of  Nature. 
We  may  call  her  a  savage,  and  sneer  at  her  want  of  elegance 
and  taste,  but  has  she  no  charms  to  kindle  the  flame  of  love 
in  the  human  bosom  ?  A  fine  lady,  it  is  true,  may  excel  her  in 
the  gaudy  decorated  drawing-room,  but  can  she  balance  her- 
self with  perfect  case,  confidence  and  grace,  in  this  exquisite 
boat,  that  a  two-pound  weiglit  would  overturn  in  unskilful 
hands  J  can  she  manage  the  frail  canoe,  and  force  it  through 
the  water  with  an  arrow's  speed — anon  let  it  gently  float  like  a 
swan  on  its  peaceful  bosom?  To  complete  the  picture,  and 
add  a  new  charm  to  the  scene,  was  their  gentle  deportment. 
When  I  invited  them  on  board,  they  modestly  declined,  but 
spread  out  before  them  a  variety  of  little  articles  of  their  own 
production,  many  of  which  were  prettily  made,  and  gracefully 
displayed  slight  little  parti-colored  baskets,  slippers,  and  other 
ornamented  trifies,  exquisitely  wrought  and  tastefully  exhibit- 


314  THIRD   VOYAGE   IX   THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

ed.  There  was  no  importunity  on  their  part  to  induce  me  to 
purchase  ;  they  patiently  waited  my  pleasure  to  take  what  I 
desired,  and  leave  the  rest.  I  was  so  captivated  with  these 
children  of  the  forest,  that  I  purchased  their  whole  stock,  ask- 
ing but  one  simple  question,  and  that  was,  "  how  much  do 
the  whole  of  these  beautiful  articles  amount  to  1 "  Had  this 
scene  occurred  some  twenty-five  years  earlier,  when  I  was  a 
single  man,  I  should  have  been  led  a  willing  captive  into  the 
forest,  with  this  child  of  Nature.  Mark  Anthony  abandoned 
fame  and  country  for  the  beauty  of  Egypt's  Q,ueen — her 
barge  was  so  magnificent,  and  herself  so  beautiful,  that  the 
gorgeous  spectacle,  combined  with  sweet  music,  overpowered 
the  ambition  of  the  warrior,  and  rendered  him  a  captive  slave 
to  the  aflurements  of  this  luxurious  queen.  I  too  should  have 
been  overpowered  and  subdued,  not  by  the  gorgeous  display 
of  refined  art  and  magnificent  splendor,  but  by  the  simplicity 
and  purity  of  unsophisticated  life,  among  the  wild  scenes  of 
nature.  I  would  there  have  taken  lessons  from  my  sylvan 
queen,  how  to  manage  the  birch  bark  canoe,  and  to  thread 
my  devious  way  through  the  pathless  woods.  This  may, 
perhaps,  appear  to  some,  like  a  high-wrought  description  of 
two  Indian  girls  in  a  bark  canoe  ;  but  I  assure  them  that  it  is 
not ;  on  the  contrary,  it  falls  far  short  of  the  truth,  and  is  but  a 
tame  representation  of  the  whole  scene. 

The  next  day,  July  the  12th,  we  sailed  out  of  Sydney, 
bound  for  Philadelphia,  and  at  6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  got 
outside  of  the  light-house  at  the  moutli  of  the  harbor,  where 
we  discharged  our  pilot,  and  steered  on  our  course  to  the 
southward. 

The  next  day,  we  passed  near  Flint  Island ;  the  winds 
being  light,  we  caught  six  codfish ; — the  weather  was  too 
thick  and  foggy  to  get  the  latitude  by  the  sun,  but  as  we  now 
had  sea-room  enough  to  navigate,  we  could  make  our  way 
along  shore  without  knowing  our  exact  position.  We  contin- 
ued sailing  and  beating  about,  from  the  13th  to  the  17th  of 
July,  for  four  days,  without  seeing  land,  or  being  able  to  get 


THIRD  VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  315 

an  observation  of  the  sun;  and  during  the  whole  of  the  time 
the  weather  has  been  dark  and  foggy,  attended  with  a  damp 
mist.  On  the  17th  it  cleared  up  a  little,  when  there  were  eight 
brigs  and  schooners  in  sight ;  we  spoke  one  of  them,  an 
English  brig,  7  days  from  Pictou,  bound  to  Boston.  At  10 
o'clock  this  morning,  we  saw  a  schooner  at  anchor,  fishing  in 
38  fathoms  of  water  ;  we  ran  down  near  her  and  hove  to,  and 
put  out  our  lines.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  we  caught  three 
halibut  and  some  20  or  30  large  codfish  ;  one  of  the  halibut 
weighed  over  one  hundred  pounds,  the  other  two  about  sixty 
each.  I  have  generally  found  during  this  voyage,  that  wher- 
ever we  could  find  bottom  on  any  of  the  banks  along  the 
coast  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Cape  Breton,  we  could  always  catch 
plenty  of  fish. 

From  this  period,  viz.,  the  17th  of  July,  until  the  2d  of  Au- 
gust, for  fifteen  days,  I  find  nothing  but  a  history  of  the  winds 
and  weather,  taking  in  and  making  sail,  and  a  continuous  ac- 
count of  reefing,  tacking,  wearing  ship,  etc.,  etc.,  terms  alto- 
gether uninteresting  except  to  nautical  men,  and  even  to  them 
there  is  too  much  monotony  to  interest  where  the  gales  are 
not  severe  enough  to  carry  away  a  mast,  or  split  a  maintop- 
sail  into  ribbons.  Seafaring  men  love  to  read  of  tempests  and 
storms,  water-spouts  and  tornadoes  ;  but  the  dull  routine  of 
calm,  baffling  weather,  is  too  tame  to  raise  the  pulse  or  send 
the  blood  with  a  rush  to  the  heart ;  they  therefore  skip  over 
these  scenes,  and  feed  on  something  more  bold  and  daring — 
such,  for  example,  as  a  boat  having  been  broken  to  pieces  by 
the  tail  of  a  whale,  and  the  whole  crew  escaped  by  swimming 
on  oars  and  broken  pieces  of  the  wreck. 

As  the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  sound  of  martial  music 
animate  and  excite  the  heart  of  a  soldier,  so  in  like  manner 
the  howling  of  the  tempest  and  the  roaring  of  thunder  animate 
the  soul  of  a  true  son  of  Neptune,  and  prompt  him  to  deeds 
of  noble  daring,  such  as  saving  the  crew  of  a  sinking  ship  ; 
but  as  I  have  here  no  such  scenes  to  record,  I  will  return  to  my 
dull  narrative.     On  the  2d  of  August,  at  2  o'clock  in  the  after- 


816  THIED   VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

noon,  we  took  on  board  Mr.  C,  a  Cape  May  pilot,  and  stcTod 
in  shore.  At  nine  in  the  evening,  we  made  Cape  May  light, 
and  at  ten,  next  morning,  passed  near  Cape  Henlopen.  The 
weather  became  thick  and  rainy,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to 
run  under  easy  sail,  and  feel  onr  way  along  by  the  land  ;  the 
wind  shifted  to  the  S.  E.  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
blew  a  strong  gale  from  that  quarter.  At  3  P.  M.  we  ran  in, 
and  made  a  good  harbor  under  the  lee  of  the  breakwater, 
where  we  lay  all  night,  in  company  with  some  twenty  or  thir- 
ty sail  of  ships,' brigs,  and  schooners.  While  lying  here  at  an- 
chor in  five  fathoms  of  water,  safe  from  all  winds,  I  fully  re- 
alized the  strong  protecting  arm  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, in  constructing  this  fine  harbor,  to  save  the  lives  of 
seamen,  and  the  property  of  all  classes  of  our  common  coun- 
try ;  and  thus,  after  passing  a  comfortable  night  in  this  smooth 
and  peaceful  haven,  we  made  sail  in  the  morning,  at  8  o'clock, 
and  commenced  beating  up  the  bay,  with  the  wind  from  the 
northward,  which  continued  contrary  for  two  days  ;  this  pro- 
longed our  passage,  so  that  we  did  not  arrive  at  Philadelphia  until 
Tuesday,  August  the  6th,  making  it  twenty-four  days  from 
Sydney.  The  Brilliant  was  deeply  loaded,  and  we  had  ad- 
verse winds  almost  all  the  way,  which  rendered  the  passage 
long  and  tedious,  and,  to  add  to  my  disappointment,  the  con- 
signee, to  whom  the  coal  was  addressed,  refused  to  receive  it 
and  pay  the  freight,  so  that  I  was  compelled  to  employ  a  com- 
mission house,  Messrs.  G.  &  S.,  to  sell  the  coal  for  my  account, 
to  secure  the  freight,  which  was  at  the  rate  of  four  dollars  the 
chaldron,  and  amounted  to  something  over  ^800.  We  sold  it 
to  a  gas  company,  and  when  the  freight,  commissions,  demur- 
rage, and  other  just  charges  were  paid,  I  placed  the  balance 
accruing  from  the  sale  of  the  coal,  in  the  hands  of  Messrs. 
G.  &.  S.,  to  be  paid  over  to  the  party  best  entitled  to  it  accord- 
ing to  law.  This  was  no  business  of  mine  ;  I  agreed  to  perform 
a  certain  duty  for  a  specific  sum,  and  as  the  parties  would  not 
pay  me  for  performing  my  part  of  the  contract,  I  sold  it,  paid 
myself,  and  handed  over  the  balance  to  the  shippers  ;  the  re- 


THIRD  VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  317 

suit  was,  that  I  took  the  proper  steps  in  the  premises,  and  was 
justified  in  so  doing,  on  the  fnial  decision  of  the  case  in  a  court 
of  justice. 

After  discharging  the  coal,  and  settling  the  voyage,  I  paid 
off  the  crew,  and  laid  up  the  brig  Brilliant,  under  the  charge 
of  Captain  Richard  Hepburn  ;  and  when  every  necessary  ar- 
rangement was  made,  I  left  Philadelphia  on  the  20th  of  Au- 
gust, and  returned  home  to  my  family. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


rOUETH  AND  LAST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BEIG  BEILLIANT,  FEOM  NEW- 
YOEK  TO  EIO  DE  JANEIEO,  AND  EEOM  THENCE  TO  NEW  OE- 
LEANS,  IN  THE  YEAES  1840  AND  1841. 

• 

On  my  return  home  to  Connecticut  from  Rio  and  New  Or- 
leans, on  the  24th  of  April,  I  concluded  to  employ  the  BriUiant 
in  the  freighting  business,  and,  with  this  object  in  view,  I  ap- 
pointed my  late  mate,  Mr.  Richard  Hepburn,  to  command  her. 
He  had  made  one  voyage  from  Philadelphia  to  Sydney,  N.  S., 
and  another  to  New  Orleans  and  Marseilles,  and  from  thence 
to  New- York,  where  he  arrived  on  the  13th  of  July,  1840. 
As  the  Brilliant  required  a  thorough  overhauling,  I  forthwith 
placed  her  in  the  carpenter's  hands,  where  she  was  faithfully 
calked  and  repaired;  I  also  procured  a  new  suit  of  sails,  boats, 
cordage,  and  every  thing  else  necessary  to  perform  another 
voyage  to  Rio,  and  after  mature  deliberation,  made  an  arrange- 
ment with  a  commercial  friend  in  New- York,  and  also  with 
my  friends,  Messrs.  W.  G.  Hewes  &  Company,  of  New  Or- 
leans, to  be  interested  with  me  in  the  purchase  of  a  full  cargo 
of  coffee  at  Rio.  I  had  thus  far  been  fortunate  on  my  late 
voyages,  and  begun  to  fear  a  reaction,  and  thought  I  had  bet- 
ter act  a  prudent  part,  and  therefore  agreed  with  Messrs. 
Hewes  &.  Co.,  to  take  1,600  bags  for  their  account,  and  also 
with  my  commercial  friend  to  take  600 ;  this  left  me  but  one 
thousand  for  my  own  account.  With  these  gentlemen  I  made 
an  agreement,  that  I  should  receive  one  dollar  per  bag,  freight, 


FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  31 

with  five  per  cent,  primage,  and  that  the  whole  cargo  should 
be  consigned  to  my  friends  in  New  Orleans,  they  receiving  the 
customary  commissions  for  transacting  the  business  in  that 
city.  The  before-named  gentlemen,  with  whom  I  was  con- 
cerned, intrusted  me  with  the  management  of  their  affairs  in 
Rio  ;  that  is  to  say,  I  was  to  direct  what  quality  of  coffee  should 
be  purchased,  and  with  the  assistance  and  advice  of  Messrs. 
Maxwell,  Wright  &.  Co.,  to  buy  at  a  proper  time,  etc.,  etc.  The 
funds  for  the  purchase  of  the  cargo  were  provided  by  each 
party,  and  the  accounts  were  to  be  kept  distinct  and  separate. 
For  the  amount  of  my  1000  bags  I  was  authorized  to  draw  on 
Messrs.  Reid,  Irving  &  Co.,  of  London  ;  and  thus,  after  all  the 
preliminaries  were  arranged,  I  dispatched  two  small  sloops  to 
Albany,  to  purchase  boards,  plank,  and  scantling,  for  my  ac- 
count. I  also  laid  in  sundry  other  bulky  articles,  and  was 
fortunate  in  obtaining  the  residue  of  a  cargo  on  freight,  viz., 
flour,  cotton  drillings,  etc.  The  amount  of  my  freight  and 
primage,  exclusive  of  my  own  property,  amounted  to  seven 
hundred  dollars.  I  had  also  one  cabin  passenger — a  native  of 
the  Island  of  Cuba,  who  spoke  not  a  word  of  English. 

I  laid  in  ample  stores,  and  was  well  supplied  with  every 
thing  necessary  and  convenient.  I  took  with  me  as  chief 
mate,  Mr.  Richard  Hepburn,  who  had  commanded  the  Bril- 
liant on  her  last  voyage  to  Marseilles  ;  I  also  took  my  former 
second  mate,  Mr.  Peter  Hanson,  and  a  crew  of  five  seamen, 
and  a  cook,  comprising  nine  in  number,  including  myself.  I 
am  particular  in  detailing  every  thing  relating  to  this  voyage, 
it  being  the  last  I  ever  made,  either  as  captain  or  supercargo. 
Thus  equipped,  I  embarked  on  board  the  Brilliant,  with  my 
wife  and  second  daughter,  Mary  S.,  then  a  child  of  two  years 
and  a  half  old,  on  the  2Stli  of  September,  bound  to  Rio.  We 
left  New- York  in  the  morning,  with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  N. 
W.,  and  steered  down  the  bay ;  at  noon,  when  near  Sandy 
Hook,  we  discharged  the  pilot,  and  stood  out  to  sea,  with  a 
pleasant  breeze  at  N.  W.,  and  fine,  clear  weather.  We 
steered  off  S.  S.  E.,  in  company  with  the  ship  Canada,  bound 


820  FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

to  Montevideo :  there  were  also  several  ships,  brigs,  and 
schooners,  leaving  port  at  the  same  time  ;  each  of  these  ves- 
selspursued  her  respective  course  over  the  trackless  ocean,  some, 
no  doubt,  with  heavy  hearts  at  the  idea  of  leaving  wife,  chil- 
dren, and  dear  friends,  while  they  were  about  to  tempt  the 
treacherous  main,  with  lurking  doubts  and  fears  for  a  joyful 
return  ;  others,  who  had  no  strong  or  tender  ties  to  leave  be- 
hind were,  perhaps,  rejoiced  to  embark,  and,  if  fond  of  their 
profession,  experienced  the  feeling  so  happily  expressed  by 
Lord  Byron  : 

"Once  more  upon  the  waters  !  yet  once  more! 
And  the  billows  bound  beneath  me  as  a  steed 
That  knows  his  rider.     Welcome  to  their  roar! 
Swift  be  their  guidance  wheresoe'er  it  lead, 
Though  the  strain'd  mast  should  quiver  as  a  reed  ; 
And  the  rent  canvas  flutter  through  the  gale, 
Still  must  I  on,  for  I  am  as  a  weed 
Flung  from  the  rock,  on  ocean's  foam  to  sail 
Where'er  the  surge  may  sweep,  the  tempest's  breath  prevail." 

With  me,  though  much  of  the  enthusiasm  of  youth  had 
passed  away,  still  I  retained  a  lingering  fondness  for  my  pro- 
fession, and  at  times  love  to  recall  the  scenes  of  early  life, 
when  it  was  my  joy  and  delight  to  embark  on  the  dark  and 
deep,  blue  ocean,  and  revel,  like  a  sea-bird,  in  the  tempest  and 
the  storm.  At  this  moment  my  feelings  and  affections  were 
divided  ;  I  was  leaving  children,  friends,  and  my  dear  country 
behind,  and  had  a  beloved  wife  and  child  thrown  on  me  for 
protection  ;  I  therefore  felt  a  double  responsibility  to  exercise 
watchfulness  and  prudence  to  preserve  the  lives  of  those  who 
were  thus  placed  in  my  hands,  to  sliield  from  every  danger. 
For  the  first  two  days  out  we  had  clear,  pleasant  weather,  with 
moderate  breezes  from  the  westward,  which  enabled  us  to 
carry  studding-sails  alow  and  aloft ;  we  had  the  decks  cleared 
and  every  thing  stowed  away,  lashed  and  secured,  below  and 
on  deck,  every  preparation  made  for  bad  weather,  should  it  over- 


FOUETH  VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT.  321 

take  us,  and  be  ready  with  calmness  to  encounter  the  wild  fury  of 
the  elements.  On  the  third  day  out  we  got  into  the  Gulf  Stream, 
where  we  had  light,  baffling  winds,  with  a  little  rain,  and  at 
noon  found  ourselves  in  latitude  37°  47'  north,  longitude  68° 
47'  west.  From  this  period  nothing  occurred  worth  noticing, 
except  during  the  last  two  days  I  observed  a  high  rolling  swell 
from  the  N.  N.  E.,  notwithstanding  the  wind  was  not  blowing 
from  that  direction  ;  my  barometer  was  also  falling ;  these  indi- 
cations induced  me  to  be  on  the  qui  vive.  I  told  my  officers  to  be 
vigilant  and  watchful,  as  I  expected  a  severe  gale  from  that 
quarter.  On  the  10th  of  October,  when  in  latitude  35°  44' 
north,  longitude  57°  west,  at  noon  it  commenced  blowing  a 
strong  gale  from  the  S.  W.,  with  dark,  squally  weather ;  as  it 
increased  we  reefed  down  and  took  in  sail  until  we  had  nothing 
set  except  a  close-reefed  main-topsail  ;  the  wind  shifted  from  S. 
W.  to  N.  N.  E,,  and  threw  up  a  high  cross  sea  which  broke 
and  foamed  like  a  boiling  caldron.  Early  in  the  morning,  in 
anticipation  of  a  severe  gale,  we  had  sent  down  the  topgallant- 
yards,  and  got  every  thing  snug  to  encounter  the  coming 
storm,  so  that  at  present  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  lie  to  and 
let  it  expend  its  fury,  and  trust  to  a  kind  Providence  to  carry 
us  through  this  terrific  tempest.  At  midnight  it  increased  to  a 
perfect  hurricane;  the  spray  and  foam  were  driven  with  so 
much  violence  by  the  force  of  the  wind  that  one  could  scarcely 
look  to  windward ;  the  elements  roarec]  like  thunder ;  every 
now  and  then  an  occasional  flash  of  vivid  lightning  served  to 
render  the  gloom  of  night  still  more  awful.  The  next  morn- 
ing at  daylight,  October  the  11th,  the  gale  was  raging  at  the 
height  of  its  fury,  lashing  the  ocean  into  a  violent  foam,  which 
threatened  to  swallow  our  little  vessel  in  every  hollow  of  the 
sea;  still  amidst  the  tempest  and  mountain  billows  she  rose 
like  a  stormy  petrel  on  the  water,  and  though  she  was  as  it 
were  but  a  speck  on  the  ocean,  that  unseen  Hand,  that  "  tem- 
pers the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,"  kept  our  little  bark  on  the 
top  of  the  angry  billows,  and  conducted  us  through  this  awful 
crisis.  I  cannot  say  I  was  afraid  during  this  protracted  tem- 
21 


322  FOURTH   VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

pest,  which  lasted  for  a  space  of  forty-eight  hours  ;  still  I 
do  not  deny  that  I  felt  sensibly  a  solemn  awe,  reflecting  on 
onr  perilous  situation.  I  watched  with  intense  anxiety  every 
symptom  of  its  abatement.,  and  when  I  saw  the  clouds  break 
away  near  the  horizon,  and  the  wind  lull  a  little,  I  said,  "  God 
is  indeed  every  where,  and  it  is  He  alone  who  has  snatched  us 
from  the  very  jaws  of  death."  Scenes  like  these  cause  us  to 
feel  our  own  insignificance,  and  lead  us  to  exclaim  with  heart- 
felt joy  and  gratitude,  "  It  is  Thou,  O  God  !  who  hast  saved 
us  from  a  watery'  grave,  and  may  we  ever  bless  and  adore 
Thy  holy  name,  and  place  our  entire  dependence  upon  Him 
who  rules  and  governs  the  mighty  deep,  and  hath  said  in  His 
wisdom,  '  Thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no  farther,  and  here 
shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed.'  " 

In  an  hour  or  two  after  the  gale  began  to  break,  it  mode- 
rated, so  that  at  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  the  12th  of  Octo- 
ber we  again  made  sail,  and  went  on  our  course  rejoicing. 
After  this  terrific  and  almost  unparalleled  storm,  we  met  with 
no  incident  worth  noting  until  we  fell  in  with  the  N.  E.  trade- 
winds  on  the  29th  of  October,  in  latitude  26°  33'  north,  longi- 
tude per  chronometer  27°  26'  west.  We  continued  to  steer  to 
the  southward,  with  fine  weather  and  fair  winds,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  2d  of  November  at  5  A.  M.,  daylight,  we  made 
St.  Antonio,  one  of  the  Cape  de  Yerd  group,  bearing  south, 
five  or  six  leagues  distant.  We  sailed  down  along  the  west 
side  of  this  high,  rocky,  barren-looking  island,  and  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon  the  body  of  it  bore  east,  eighteen  miles  distant. 
It  lies  in  latitude  17°  25'  north,  longitude  25°  19'  west  of 
London.  After  losing  sight  of  St.  Antonio  we  continued  our 
course  to  the  southward,  and  were  favored  with  fresh  N.  E. 
trades  until  the  11th  of  November,  when  we  entirely  lost 
them.  After  that  we  met  with  light,  bafiling  winds  and  much 
rain,  as  is  usual  near  ihc  equator ;  here  we  found  it  very  hot, 
and  the  weather  dark  and  impleasant.  This  day  at  noon  we 
were  in  latitude  by  observation  2°  6'  north,  longitude  26°  17' 
west. 


FOURTH  VOYAGE  IN   THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT.  323 

We  continued  to  experience  light  and  baffling  winds  foi 
two  or  three  days,  with  much  rain,  until  November  the  Hth, 
when  we  had  fanned  across  the  equinoctial  line,  and  got  as 
far  south  as  2°  55';  we  fell  in  with  the  S.  E.  trade-winds,  and 
had  fine,  pleasant  weather ;  we  crossed  the  line  in  longitude 
27°  32'  west.  During  the  remainder  of  the  passage,  I  fmd 
very  little  in  my  journal  worth  recording.  We  continued  to 
have  from  day  to  day  (with  few  interruptions)  constant  S. 
E.  trades  and  pleasant  weather,  which  is  almost  always  the 
case  along  this  part  of  the  Brazil  coast.  We  occasionally  saw 
a  sail  or  two  to  break  the  monotony,  and  if  by  chance  we 
caught  a  bonito  or  an  albicore,  it  was  quite  an  incident  where 
there  is  so  little  change  from  one  day  to  another.  At  sea  there 
are  very  few  objects  to  divert  the  attention  save  the  two  grand- 
est and  most  sublime  to  human  view,  and  these  are  the  im- 
mense world  of  waters  on  which  we  float,  and  the  azure  vault 
of  heaven  studded  with  innumerable  worlds.  He  that  has 
no  taste  for  the  sublime,  and  finds  no  pleasure  in  gazing  on 
and  contemplating  Avith  awe  and  wonder  these  beautiful 
objects,  had  better  remain  on  the  land ;  for  without  this  re- 
source and  books,  life  on  the  ocean  is  but  a  dead  blank.  But 
to  use  the  words  of  J.  J.  Rousseau,  "  He  that  can  look  through 
nature  up  to  nature's  God,"  may  enjoy  a  rich  feast  in  com- 
muning with  the  Author  of  his  being,  and  gratify  intellectual 
inquiry  when  sailing  over  the  different  regions  of  the  globe.' 
He  may  observe  God's  fostering  hand  over  all  his  creatures  in 
every  part  of  the  earth  ; — in  the  north  and  in  the  south,  in  the 
east  and  in  the  west,  in  the  low  and  burning  latitudes,  there  is 
the  same  wise  provision  made  for  man  and  for  all  the  lower 
animals  of  creation — the  same  kind  hand  has  bountilully  sup- 
plied their  wants,  and  all  He  requires  in  return  for  this  good- 
ness is  our  fervent  love  and  gratitude ;  to  feel  that  we  are 
His  children,  and  that  He  is  our  Father,  and  will  provide  for 
and  take  care  of  us,  if  we  put  our  trust  in  Him ;  with  a 
firm,  unbending  hope  and  faith,  through  the  mediation  and 
teachings  of   the    lowly    Jesus,   the  l)lessed  Saviour  of  the 


824  FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

world.  This  faith  and  hope  will  enable  us  to  press  forward 
in  the  path  of  duty,  and  in  the  hour  of  peril,  or  deep  grief, 
to  exclaim  with  the  holy  man  of  old,  "  Though  he  slay  me. 
yet  will  I  trust  in  Him." 

On  Wednesday  the  25th,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
we  made  Cape  Frio,  bearing  W.  N.  W.  30  miles  distant,  and  at 
nine  o'clock  the  same  evening,  we  passed  near  it.  At  eight 
the  next  morning,  Nov,  26th,  we  saw  the  Sugar  Loaf  Hill, 
at  the  entrance  of  Rio,  and  at  two  in  the  afternoon  of  this  day, 
we  passed  the  fort  of  St.  Cruz,  and  came  to  anchor  at  Rio,  58 
days  from  New-York,  without  having  met  with  any  serious 
accident. 

The  next  day,  I  left  the  Brilliant  in  charge  of  the  mate, 
and  took  lodgings  for  myself  and  family  with  the  Rev.  J. 
Spaulding,  an  American  Missionary,  residing  with  his  family 
in  Rio.  I  of  course  employed  the  same  house  to  transact 
my  business,  as  I  had  done  on  the  two  former  voyages,  viz., 
Messrs.  Maxwell,  Wright  &-.  Co.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days 
we  landed  all  our  freight,  and  I  sold  the  greater  part  of  my  own 
goods  for  a  fair  profit,  and  soon  had  the  Brilliant  ready  to  re- 
ceive on  board  a  cargo  of  coffee.  I  was  now  waiting  a  favor- 
able change  in  the  market,  to  purchase  the  amount  I  wanted; 
in  the  mean  time  I  had  leisure  to  look  about  the  city  of  Rio^ 
and  its  vicinity ;  but,  as  I  have  on  the  last  voyage  made  so 
many  remarks  on  this  place,  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  or 
amplify  my  observations  on  this  subject.  I  will  only  observe 
that  the  trade  and  commerce  here  seem  to  increase  with 
wonderful  rapidity. 

After  remaining  in  the  city  with  our  good  friend  the  mis- 
sionary a  few  days,  we  removed  with  him  and  his  family 
eight  miles  into  the  interior.  This  Rev.  gentleman  had  hired 
a  small  house  among  the  mountains  of  Tejuca,  where  the  air 
was  fresher,  and  the  weather  not  so  warm  by  at  least  ten 
degrees — for  example,  when  the  thcr.  stood  at  88  and  90°  in 
the  city,  at  his  residence  among  the  mountains  the  mean 
heat  of  the  weather  was  about  75°  to  78°,  so  that  one  might 


FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  325 

almost  choose  his  own  cHiiiate  :  the  road  to  this  mountain 
house  was  pretty  good  for  5  or  6  miles  of  the  distance,  after 
that  there  was  no  carriage  road,  nor  could  it  be  travelled  at  all 
except  on  a  mule  or  on  foot ;  the  ladies  were  conveyed  up  these 
mountain  paths  in  a  hammock  or  palanquin,  slung  upon  a 
long  pole,  and  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  two  stout  negroes. 
In  this  retired  residence,  my  wife  and  child  lodged  two  weeks, 
in  the  family  of  the  worthy  Missionary,  and  found  it  pleasant 
and  comfortable.  My  business  required  my  constant  attention 
in  town,  so  that  I  could  only  remain  in  the  mountains  with 
my  friends,  from  Saturday  evening  to  Monday  morning,  when 
I  again  returned  to  die  city. 

I  observed  that  those  who  resided  here  constantly  appear- 
ed to  like  the  mountain  air,  and  to  them  it  was  a  healthful 
residence ;  I,  on  the  contrary,  found  the  change  of  climate  too 
severe,  and  felt  myself  altogether  better  in  the  city,  even  with 
the  thermometer  standing  at  90°  of  Fahrenheit,  and  soon  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  this  diversity  of  climate  was  not  condu- 
cive to  health,  and  that  it  was  far  better  to  endure  a  tempo- 
rary inconvenience  than  to  seek  a  sudden  change  for  relief 
After  remaining  at  Rio  about  twenty  days,  the  price  of  cotfee 
fell  so  as  to  authorize  me  to  buy  a  cargo,  which  was  soon 
done  through  Blessrs.  Maxwell,  Wright  &.  Co.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  days  we  purchased  the  whole  amount,  comprising 
three  thousand  two  hundred  bags,  averaging  one  hundred  and 
sixty  pounds  English  weight.  In  about  a  week  after  the  pur- 
chase of  the  coffee,  it  was  all  shipped,  together  with  all  neces- 
sary provisions  and  stores ;  so  that  on  the  24th  of  December, 
after  lying  in  this  port  about  a  month,  we  bade  adieu  to  our 
friends,  and  the  next  day  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  made 
sail,  with  a  light  land  breeze,  and  left  the  harbor  of  Rio  bound 
for  New  Orleans.  At  10  o'clock,  we  took  the  sea-breeze  and 
stood  off  to  the  southward  ;  at  meridian  Raza  Island  bore  west, 
ten  miles  distant.  We  left  this  harbor  in  company  with  sev- 
eral ships  bound  todilTerent  parts  of  the  world  ;  among  others, 
there  were  three  American  vessels,  the  bark  Leda  of  and  from 


326  FOUKTH   VOYAGE   IN"   THE   BRIG   BEILLIANT. 

Baltimore,  the  brig  Orleans  for  the  same  place,  and  the  brig 
Shawmiit  bound  for  Boston.  After  leaving  port,  each  pursued 
his  respective  course.  For  several  days  we  encountered  strong 
breezes  from  the  N.  N.  E.  directly  ahead,  and  of  course  made 
but  little  progress  on  our  homeward  passage.  These  strong 
and  contrary  winds  continued  for  about  a  week,  when  they 
moderated  and  came  out  from  E.  N.  E.,  and  continued  light 
for  the  space  of  ten  days,  forcing  us  down  to  leeward  ;  these 
light  airs,  together  with  a  strong  Ice-current,  set  us  so  far  to  the 
westward,  that  on  the  13th  of  January  we  made  the  coast  of 
Brazil  on  the  lee-bow,  bearing  north,  twelve  miles  distant.  At 
noon  tliis  day,  the  latitude  by  observation  was  10°  16'  south; 
longitude  by  the  land  35°  58  west.  From  the  13th  to  the  23d 
of  January,  Ave  continued  to  have  light  winds  from  the  N.  E., 
with  a  strong  current  setting  to  the  westward,  so  that  we  made 
slow  progress  beating  to  the  northward,  and  could  not  weather 
Cape  St.  Augustine,  when  we  tacked  and  stood  to  the  south- 
ward ;  we  could  gain  nothing  to  the  eastward ;  and  thus  day 
after  day  we  continued  to  beat  up  along  shore,  standing  off  and 
on,  and  tacking  every  four  or  six  hours,  according  as  the  wind 
headed  or  favored  us.  The  coast  along  this  part  of  Brazil  is 
clean  and  free  from  rocks  and  shoals,  and  very  easy  to  navi- 
gate, still  I  would  not  advise  any  one  to  keep  in  shore  when 
bound  to  the  United  States  from  Rio  ;  it  is  far  better  to  stand 
boldly  off  to  the  southward,  and  by  all  means  keep  clear  of  the 
land  until  far  enough  to  the  eastward  to  weather  Cape  St.  Au- 
gustine. By  getting  too  far  in  shore,  I  lost  nearly  a  week  be- 
fore I  was  able  to  double  the  cape.  On  the  22d,  at  noon  this 
day,  we  sailed  by  Cape  St.  Augustine;  it  is  ofa moderate  height 
and  free  from  dangers  of  every  kind  ;  we  passed  within  seven 
miles  distance.  It  lies  in  latitude  8°  21'  nortli,  longitude  34°  57' 
west.  The  next  day  we  passed  near  Olinda  and  Pernambuco, 
and  saw  the  church  towers,  etc.,  and  also  the  shipping  lying  at 
anchor  in  that  harbor. 

After  passing  these  places,  the  wind  f^ivorcd  us  so  that  we 
were  enabled  to  set  studding-sails  alow  and  aloft,  and  thus 


FOURTH  VOYAGE  IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  327 

pursued  our  coinso  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  the  hour.  For 
several  days  we  had  hrisk  breezes  from  tlie  eastward,  and  a 
strong  current  setting  in  our  favor,  I  should  judge  at  the  rate 
of  one  mile  the  hour.  We  soon  fell  into  the  regular  N.  E. 
trade-winds,  and  proceeded  rapidly  on  our  course. 

On  tiie  6th  of  February,  at  11  o'clock  P.  M.,  there  was  a 
total  eclipse  of  the  moon.  The  weather  being  fine  and  the 
sky  serene,  it  was  indeed  a  beautiful  spectacle,  for  after  a 
period  of  entire  obscurity  she  was  relieved,  and  again  seemed 
to  shine  with  renewed  splendor. 

At  one  hour  after  midnight,  we  made  the  Island  of  I3arba- 
does,  bearing  W.  by  N.  ten  miles  distant.  We  ran  down  along 
its  south  side,  and  took  the  same  route  through  the  West  India 
islands  as  on  the  two  last  voyages,  and  met  with  nothing 
worthy  of  remark  until  we  made  the  Island  of  Grand  Cayman, 
on  the  ISth  of  February,  bearing  N.  W.  fourteen  miles  distant, 
and  after  passing  Cape  Antonio,  we  steered  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi;  we  generally  had  favorable  winds  until  the  1st  of 
March,  when  drawing  near  the  mouth  of  that  river,  where  we 
met  with  strong  gales  and  very  disagreeable  weather.  It  how- 
ever moderated  the  next  day,  so  that  at  daylight  we  made  the 
light-house  at  the  mouth  of  the  S.  W.  Pass,  bearing  N.  W. 
about  eight  miles  distant,  but  the  weather  was  so  thick  and 
stormy,  that  we  were  obliged  to  stand  oil  shore  for  several 
hours,  and  after  beating  about  until  .11  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, Captain  Wilder,  of  the  steamboat  Prairie,  came  off  and 
towed  the  Brilliant  into  the  river  at  the  N.  E.  Pass  without 
touching  the  bottom,  and  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we 
came  to  anchor  two  miles  above  the  Pass,  sixty-eight  days  from 
Rio. 

At  7  in  the  evening,  March  3d,  the  Prairie  took  the  ship 
Talleyrand,  of  Boston,  the  Brilliant,  brig  Africa,  and  a  little 
Spanish  schooner,  all  in  tow,  and  proceeded  up  the  river ;  at 
this  time  we  had  a  fair  prospect  of  making  a  good  passage  to 
New  Orleans.  During  the  first  part  of  the  night  we  had  fine, 
clear  weather,  and  I  lelt  that  my  troubles  were  at  an  end,  and 


328  FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

that  we  were  in  a  place  of  perfect  safety — but  mark  the  re- 
suh.  About  midnight  it  became  very  dark,  so  that  one  could 
scarcely  see  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  had  the  captain  of 
the  steamboat  acted  a  prudent  part,  he  would  have  brought  us 
all  to  anchor,  until  the  weather  should  become  more  clear ; 
this,  however,  he  did  not  do,  but  continued  to  proceed  on  his 
course,  until,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  the  4th  of 
March,  in  a  thick  fog,  he  ran  the  whole  fleet  aground,  at  the 
mouth  of  a  creek,  or  bayou,  called  Carrion  Crow,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Mississippi,  about  22  miles  above  its  mouth ;  my 
brig  being  the  in  shore  vessel,  was,  by  the  force  of  the  current, 
driven  fast  aground,  and  partly  into  the  creek.  When  daylight 
appeared,  the  little  schooner  and  the  brig  Africa  were  hauled 
off"  without  much  difficulty,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day,  with 
the  assistance  of  another  steamboat,  the  Talleyrand  was  also 
taken  afloat ;  consequently,  there  remained  the  steamboat 
Prairie  and  the  Brilliant,  still  hard  and  fast  aground.  The 
water  was  running  out  of  the  Mississippi  into  the  bayou,  at 
the  rate  of  six  or  seven  miles  the  hour,  with  a  fall  of  two  and 
a  half  or  three  feet,  roaring  like  a  cataract.  The  Prairie  lay 
athwart  our  bows,  and  was  partly  forced  into  the  bayou. 

The  next  day,  March  the  5th,  it  blew  a  severe  gale  of 
wind  from  the  N.  E  ;  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  Prai- 
rie and  the  Brilliant  were  grinding  severely  against  each  other, 
and  as  the  water  became  more  agitated  and  rough,  I  feared 
they  might  sink  ;  and  thus,  to  prevent  the  loss  of  my  cargo,  I 
ordered  the  bowsprit  of  the  brig  to  be  cut  away,  and  every 
thing  else  about  the  bows,  that  they  should  not  entangle  each 
other ;  when  this  was  done,  the  Prairie  broke  loose,  and  was 
forced  by  the  gale  and  current  into  the  bayou,  and  there  se- 
cured to  the  bank.  The  wind  and  current  continued  to  force 
the  brig  more  and  more  upon  the  bar,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  notwithstanding  we  had  got  out  an  anchor  to  prevent 
her  from  being  forced  over  it  into  the  outlet.  The  Prairie  lay 
two  days  within  the  bayou,  when,  with  the  assistance  of  ano- 
ther steamboat,  with  cables,  anchors,  blocks,  and  falls,  she  was 


FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  329 

finally  taken  out  of  the  creek  into  the  Mississippi.  On  tlie 
7th  of  March,  the  owner  of  the  Prairie  sent  down  from  New 
Orleans  a  very  large  anchor,  with  90  fiithomsof  heavy  chain; 
this  was  taken  out  on  our  starboard  quarter,  and  hove  taut,  to  pre- 
vent the  brig  from  being  forced  into  the  bayou  :  the  next  morn- 
ing, March  the  8th,  I  liired  one  of  the  most  powerful  steam- 
boats on  the  river,  to  force  ofi"  the  Brilliant,  with  an  agreement 
with  the  captain,  that  if  he  succeeded,  I  would  give  him  two 
hundred  dollars,  and  if  he  did  not,  after  a  fair  trial,  I  would 
give  him  one  hundred  and  thirty  for  his  trouble.  He  tried, 
but  to  no  purpose  ;  and  after  parting  a  new  ten-inch  cable, 
gave  it  up,  remarking,  that  if  the  brig  was  lying  on  the  bank, 
entirely  out  of  the  water,  he  would  drag  her  off ;  but  that  she 
was  so  bedded  in  the  sand,  and  lay  broadside  against  the  cur- 
rent, that  she  could  not  be  got  off  without  taking  out  a  part 
of  the  cargo.  I  then  sent  my  mate,  Mr.  Hepburn,  to  New 
Orleans,  for  a  lighter.  On  the  10th,  he  returned  with  a 
schooner,  when  we  took  out  one  thousand  and  fifty  bags  of 
coffee,  and  dispatched  her  to  New  Orleans  ;  and  notwithstand- 
ing we  had  lightened  the  Brilliant,  we  could  not  get  her  off; 
on  the  contrary,  the  more  we  lightened,  the  further  she  was 
forced  over  the  bar,  into  the  outlet.  After  this  we  made  ano- 
ther attempt  with  two  steamboats,  in  a  line,  with  a  large  cable 
led  through  the  hawse  hole  and  fastened  to  the  mainmast,  and 
then,  after  a  fair  trial,  with  almost  force  enough  to  tear  the 
mast  out  of  her.  they  gave  it  up  as  a  hopeless  case.  I  then 
ordered  another  lighter  down,  and  took  out  another  thousand 
bags  ;  thus  far  we  had  been  almost  constantly  employed,  day 
and  night ;  besides  our  own  crew  I  hired  some  six  or  eight 
laboring  men  to  assist  us,  at  the  rate  of  two  dollars  per  day. 
On  the  26th  of  March,  after  getting  out  the  greater  part  of 
the  cargo,  the  owner  of  the  Prairie,  Mr.  R.,  came  down  from 
New  Orleans  with  the  steamboats  Prairie  and  Porpoise,  and 
made  the  following  agreement  with  me,  viz.,  that  he  would 
make  another  trial  with  the  two  boats  to  haul  off  the  Brilliant, 
and  if  they  succeeded,  I  should  pay  him  s500,  and  if  they 


330  FOUETH   VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG   BRILLIANT. 

did  not,  they  should  have  nothing  for  their  trouble.  They 
then  placed  both  boats  in  a  line,  with  cables  fastened  to  our 
masts  and  gave  such  tremendous  jerks,  that  I  almost  feared 
they  would  be  dragged  out  of  our  unfortunate  brig :  still  they 
could  not  get  her  off,  and,  according  to  agreement,  got  nothing 
for  their  pains. 

On  the  27th  of  March,  notwithstanding  we  had  out  two 
large  anchors  with  heavy  cables,  the  Brilliant,  this  day,  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  went  into  the  bayou,  and  was 
secured  alongside  the  west  bank  of  the  creek,  in  seven  fathoms 
of  water.  During  our  stay  thus  far  at  this  disagreeable  place, 
we  had  been  terribly  annoyed  with  sand  flies  and  musquitoes, 
and  had  suffered  every  inconvenience  that  shipwrecked  seamen 
are  destined  to  experience,  such  as  being  in  the  midst  of  a 
mixed  population,  made  up  from  almost  all  the  nations  of  Eu- 
rope, and  rather  a  bad  specimen  from  the  United  States.  I 
state  with  pleasure,  however,  that  there  were  some  honorable 
exceptions,  and  that  Mr.  Donelson,  the  principal  proprietor  of 
the  land  in  this  vicinity,  was  a  kind,  humane  man.  My  fam- 
ily and  crew  were  always  well  treated  by  him,  and  during 
our  stay  at  Carrion  Crow  he  was  always  obliging,  and  ren- 
dered us  many  favors. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  we  commenced  discharging  coffee, 
and  found  it  necessary  to  transport  it  by  land  from  the  bayou 
to  the  bank  of  the  Mississipi,  and  there  put  it  into  boats,  and 
in  this  way  shipped  it  on  board  of  a  schooner/lighter,  called 
the  Gladiator.  We  had  ten  men  employed  besides  our  own 
crew,  so  that  in  the  course  of  two  days,  we  finished  discharging 
the  Brilliant,  and  had  now  on  board  the  Gladiator  the  balance 
of  the  cargo,  comprising  500  bags  of  coffee. 

The  next  morning,  April  2d,  I  embarked  with  my  family 
and  all  the  crew  of  the  Brilliant  (except  the  chief  mate,  Mr. 
H.)  on  board  the  Gladiator,  for  New  Orleans  ;  we  were  soon 
taken  in  tow  of  the  steamboat  Phoenix,  and  proceeded  up  to 
the  city,  at  which  place  we  arrived  at  one  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. 


FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  331 

Mr.  H.  hired  a  man  to  cook  on  board,  and  remained  quietly 
there  until  I  returned. 

After  paying  ofT  the  crew  of  the  IJrilliant,  I  agreed  with 
the  owner  of  the  l^raiiie  to  proceed  with  that  boat  down  to 
the  bayou,  and  make  one  more  trial  to  get  the  brig  into  the 
Mississippi,  and  to  settle  all  our  difficulties  amicably  ;  and  on 
the  lOth  of  April  we  went  down  the  river  with  tlic  I^iairie, 
and  the  next  day,  wiUi  a  long  cable  fastened  to  the  bows  of 
the  brig,  at  the  momh  of  the  creek  (the  steamboat  being  in  the 
Mississippi),  took  the  brig  again  in  tow,  and  almost  succeeded 
in  getting  her  out ;  but  just  at  the  very  moment  when  she 
was  nearly  over  the  bar,  she  gave  a  rank  sheer,  parted  the  cable, 
and  was  again  driven  by  the  current  back  into  the  bayou; 
and  although  there  was  no  insurance  upon  her,  I  concluded 
to  let  her  remain  there.  I  then  employed  eight  or  ten  men, 
stripped  oft'  all  the  rigging,  sails,  anchors,  cables,  boats — in 
fine,  all  I  could  get  from  the  wreck.  I  hired  an  Eastern 
schooner,  called  the  Choctaw,  to  carry  all  her  materials  to 
New  Orleans,  to  be  disposed  of  for  the  most  they  would  bring  ; 
and  here  ends  the  life  of  the  good  brig  Brilliant.  We  left 
Carrion  Crow  in  the  schooner  Choctaw,  on  the  2 1st  of  April, 
and  the  next  day  got  up  to  New  Orleans.  On  the  28th,  the 
hull,  rigging,  sails,  and  every  thing  appertaining  to  the  Bril- 
liant, was  sold  at  auction  on  the  Levee. 


General  Remarks  on  Carrion  Croiv,  and  the  Region  about 
the  Months  of  the  Mississippi. 

I  remained  at  the  bayou  from  the  4th  of  March  until  the 
21st  of  April,  and  dining  that  period  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  this 
singular  place.  As  every  body  knows,  the  land  for  some 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  above  the  mouths  of  this  great  river  is 
alluvial,  and  made  up  of  logs  and  mud,  that  come  down  and 
are  lodged  on  each  side  of  this  mighty  stream.  After  ascend- 
ing the  river  about  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth,  by  going  up 


332  FOURTH  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

the  rigging  a  little  way  above  the  deck,  one  can  see  the  ocean 
on  both  sides,  only  a  short  distance  from  its  bank ;  and  when 
landing  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  one  can  walk  for  miles  on 
mud  and  logs,  among  the  reeds  and  rushes  that  grow  up  in 
the  crevices  between  them.  It  frequently  happens,  when  the 
Mississippi  is  very  high,  that  it  breaks  loose  from  its  pent-up 
channel,  and  thus  forms  creeks  or  bayous,  which  soon  become 
large  and  rapid  steams ;  such  a  one  is  the  Carrion  Crow  Bayou, 
which  had  no  existence  until  a  few  years  ago.  There  is 
little  or  no  security  for  the  permanent  continuance  of  any  lo- 
cation in  this  region  ;  a  creek  may  close  up  in  one  place,  and 
break  out  in  another,  and  to-day,  where  the  land  appears  firm 
and  solid,  it  may  sink  to-morrow.  During  our  stay  at  this 
bayou,  whole  acres  of  land  would  disappear  in  a  day.  Along- 
side the  bank  where  my  brig  lay,  there  were  seven  or  eight 
fathoms  of  water — the  land  was  constantly  giving  way ;  and 
when  we  discharged  our  coffee,  we  were  obliged  to  procure 
very  long  planks  to  slide  it  down  upon,  and  thus  place  it  at 
least  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from  the  bank  ;  and  even  at  this 
distance,  it  was  unsafe  to  leave  any  considerable  quantity,  as 
it  might  all  be  submerged  in  an  instant. 

We  had  several  strong  gales  of  wind  while  lying  here,  and 
it  was  absolutely  astonishing  to  see  the  changes  made  along 
the  banks  of  the  creek,  even  in  a  single  day. 

There  is  here  a  sparse  population  spread  over  a  large 
space.  They  mostly  live  in  small  houses  or  huts  planted 
along  the  main  river,  and  occasionally  on  the  bayous.  They 
are  generally  a  mixture  of  all  nations,  with  a  pretty  large 
sprinkling  of  Creole  French ;  besides  these,  there  are  many 
sailors  of  different  nations,  who  are  too  lazy  to  pursue  any 
regular  business,  and  prefer  leading  here  a  sort  of  vagabond 
life — going  about  in  boats  from  place  to  place,  catching  fish 
and  oysters,  and  sometimes  obtaining  an  accidental  job  from 
some  shipwrecked  captain  like  myself  Many  of  tlicm  have 
wives  or  women  with  whom  they  live,  who  are  probably 
more  dissolute  than  themselves.     Some  of  them,  a  little  more 


FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN  THE  BRIG  BRILLIANT.  333 

cunning  than  their  fellows,  contrive  to  keep  little  shops,  and  re- 
tail liquor  at  an  enormous  profit.  In  the  fall  and  winter  there  are 
some  few  shrewd  men  who  own  large  boats,  and  follow  the  busi- 
ness of  catching  and  opening  oysters  on  the  shoals  and  banks 
along  the  sea-coast,  or  on  some  of  the  neighboring  islands. 
These  men  hire  the  stragglers  by  the  month  to  catch  and  open 
oysters,  which  are  found  here  in  great  abundance.  For  many 
miles  the  shoals  and  banks  are  covered  with  them.  They 
appear  to  be  inexhaustible,  and  if  necessary,  I  think  the  whole 
United  States  might  be  supplied  from  this  region.  They  are 
put  into  large  kegs  or  half-barrels,  taken  to  New  Orleans,  and 
from  thence  they  are  sent  into  the  interior  States,  and  produce 
large  sums  of  money ;  and  although,  as  I  have  before  said, 
the  most  of  them  are  a  drunken,  improvident  set  of  beings, 
still,  I  am  told,  there  are  some  of  them  who  pick  up  considera- 
ble property. 

I  saw  a  female,  wife  to  one  of  the  leaders  of  these  oyster 
colonies,  who  appeared  shrewd  and  very  intelligent.  She 
often  encamped  for  weeks  and  months  with  these  men  who 
were  hired  by  her  husband,  and  I  was  told  she  could  open 
more  oysters  in  a  day  than  any  man  belonging  to  the  gang. 
She  was  a  middle-aged  woman,  and  rather  a  good-looking 
person,  and  was,  I  think,  a  native  of  Sweden.  I  visited  seve- 
ral pf  the  huts  of  these  people,  and  sometimes  found  them 
comfortable  habitations,  but  generally  badly  built  and  very 
dirty.  They  are  terribly  annoyed  with  sand-flies  and  mus- 
quitoes.  Therefore,  taking  every  thing  into  consideration,  I 
should  pronounce  theirs  a  wretched  mode  of  life,  and  only 
suitable  for  idle  vagabonds,  who  are  unfit  subjects  for  a  more 
civilized  state  of  society.  During  my  stay  there,  I  employed 
many  of  them  to  labor  on  board  the  Brilliant,  and  often  pur- 
chased from  them  oysters,  chickens,  eggs,  etc.  I  managed  to 
get  along  with  this  heterogeneous  population  without  dilfi- 
culty,  and  found  them  generally  ready  to  labor  or  assist  me 
whenever  I  made  the  given  signal  of  setting  my  colors  and 
firing  a  gun.     It  was  curious  to  see  how  soon  this  straggling 


334  FOUETH  VOYAGE   IN  THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT. 

population  could  be  called  together  upon  any  exciting  occasion. 
In  a  neighborhood  where  there  could  scarcely  be  seen  more 
than  two  or  three  huts,  I  could,  in  less  than  thirty  minutes, 
assemble  twenty  or  thirty  men,  women,  and  children.  From 
the  fact  of  my  lying  here  so  long,  I  became  well  known  to  the 
inhabitants  for  many  miles  in  extent ;  so  that  the  Bayou 
Carrion  Crow  and  the  brig  Brilliant  became  somewhat  con- 
spicuous objects,  and  many  idlers  paid  us  a  visit,  and  fre- 
quently strolled  about  the  precincts  of  the  outlet.  My  friend 
D.  knew  the  character  of  most  of  these  people,  and  often  gave 
me  a  hint  to  avoid  those  of  dubious  standing.  Whenever 
these  abandoned  scoundrels  came  on  board,  I  took  the  pre- 
caution to  get  our  muskets,  pikes,  and  swords  on  deck,  to 
clean,  and  often  took  care  to  discharge  a  few  muskets,  to  con- 
vince these  marauders  that  we  were  ready  for  them,  and  were 
not  to  be  caught  napping.  In  fine,  if  it  were  not  for  the  fre- 
quent visits  of  the  United  States  revenue  cutters  at  the  mouths 
of  the  Mississippi,  it  would  be  unsafe  to  live  in  a  shipwrecked 
vessel  with  a  valuable  cargo. 

After  the  sale  of  the  Brilliant  and  her  materials,  on  the  28th 
of  April,  I  employed  an  insurance  broker,  to  make  up  a  gen- 
eral average  on  the  Brilliant,  her  cargo  and  freight,  according 
to  the  custom  and  usage  of  the  State  of  Louisiana.  Messrs. 
Wm.  G.  Hewes  &.  Co.  had  now  sold  the  cargo  at  very  good 
prices,  so  that  the  A^oyage  was  soon  closed.  I  took  a  state- 
ment of  the  average  with  me,  to  present  to  the  underwriters 
in  New- York,  and  left  a  second  copy  in  the  hands  of  my  friends. 
I  settled  every  thing  appertaining  to  the  brig,  with  my  con- 
signees, to  our  mutual  satisfaction. 

And  now,  concluding  this  account  of  my  last  and  final 
voyage  in  the  Brilliant,  I  add  with  pleasure,  that  I  have  ever 
found  William  G.  Hewes,  Esq.,  strictly  honest  and  just,  and  a 
most  worthy  intelligent  gentleman.  In  a  few  days,  I  arrang- 
ed all  my  business  in  New  Orleans,  namely,  on  the  27th  of 
May,  and  proceeded  with  my  wife  and  daughter  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi on  my  way  to  Now- York,  and  after  a  pleasant  voy- 


FOURTH  VOYAGE   IN   THE   BRIG  BRILLIANT.  335 

age  of  15  days,  arrived  safe  at  that  city  on  the  lllh  of  June, 
1841.  On  my  return,  I  called  on  the  two  insurance  compa- 
nies who  had  insured  the  freight  and  cargo  of  my  brig,  and 
presented  tliem  all  the  documents  relating  to  the  unfortunate 
loss  of  this  vessel.  We  had  an  amicable  settlement,  when  they 
paid  me  the  balance  due,  agreeably  to  the  general  average 
made  and  adjusted  in  New  Orleans.  I  believe  the  under- 
writers were  satisfied  with  my  conduct,  during  the  whole  of 
our  late  disastrous  voyage,  and  final  shipwreck  in  the  Missis- 
sippi ;  I  think  they  were  convinced  that  I  saved  tliem  every 
expense  in  my  power  in  getting  the  coffee  up  to  New  Orleans, 
and  guarding  it  from  theft  and  plunder  during  our  long  and 
tedious  detention  at  the  Bayou  Carrion  Crow.  I  have  now 
closed  the  last  voyage  in  the  Brilliant,  and  though  I  met  with 
many  trials  and  difficulties  in  this  brig,  still,  in  the  end,  she 
proved  a  fortunate  vessel  for  me.  It  will  be  remembered  that  I 
purchased  her  in  1837,  with  the  hope  of  retrieving,  if  possible, 
what  I  had  lost  by  the  Great  Fire  and  other  casualties  in 
Dec.  1835.  AVlth  this  object  in  view,  I  pressed  forward  with 
persevering  industry  and  self-denial,  and,  notwithstanding 
my  brig  was  finally  lost,  without  having  one  cent  insured  up- 
on her,  still  I  am  happy  to  add,  that  at  the  end  of  four  years 
I  cleared  the  round  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  thus 
repaired  all  my  losses  by  the  extensive  conflagration.  I 
now  began  to  feel  that  I  was  growing  old,  and  that  it  v/as 
about  time  for  me  to  withdraw  from  active  life,  leaving  the 
field  of  enterprise  and  conmiercial  pursuits  to  the  rising  gen- 
eration;  and  purpose  hereafter  to  attend  to  the  education  of 
my  children,  and  to  spend  the  residue  of  life  in  quiet  repose. 


THE  END. 


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